The Disciple | Anupama Chopra's Review | Chaitanya Tamhane | Film Companion

The Disciple on ‪@NetflixIndiaOfficial‬ is a meditative character study of a Hindustani classical vocalist named Sharad Nerulkar. The film might be set in the esoteric world of Indian classical music but its concerns are universal.
#TheDisciple #ChaitanyaTamhane
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The Film Companion is a web channel intended to promote Indian cinema through films review, interviews, discussions, video essays and analytical compilations. It is intended primarily for the purpose of encouraging informed discussions, criticism and review of cinema and towards such purpose the programs use short extracts of cinematograph films, sounds recording and photographic works. These clips and extracts are of a minimal nature and the use is not intended to interfere in any manner with their commercial exploitation of the complete work by the owners of the copyright. The use of works are in compliance with the fair dealing exception provided under Sec. 52 of the Copyright Act, and we assert our use of the works under the exception provided for criticism and review.

[@sinoper8506]

मुख्य म्हणजे महाराष्ट्रात शास्त्रीय संगीत ऐकणारे रसिक खूप आहेत. आणि तसेच राहतील. राहुल देशपांडे , महेश काळे , आनंद भाटे हे तरुण मुलांनापण तेवढेच भावतात. कट्यार सारखा चित्रपट म्हणूनच महाराष्ट्रात सुपरहिट होऊ शकला. हा खुप हळू असल्यामुळे खूप लोक बघणार नाहीत पूर्ण. पण ज्यांना खरच आवड आहे शास्त्रीय संगीत किंवा चित्रपट ह्यापैकी एकाची ते बघितल्यांवर कधीच विसरणार नाहीत. नक्की बघा

[@rupeshs7378]

Review: In his interview with Anupama Chopra, Chaitanya confessed that he did not knew a lot about Indian classical music before this movie. But his movie speaks a lot about music not just about Indian classical music but music as a whole. Its take on Indian music shows, on online trollers who judge the singers when they hardly know about it, his take on Music mafias, on changing music style of music show contestants, on Fusion bands in colleges, on failure, on aspiring career in music, on unpaid fees to classical singers, many things 'The Disciple' talks about with its slow camera movement. The hustle of protagonist Sharad Nerulkar is clearly visible, the slow death of interest of Indian audience towards Classical music is very well felt. What i loved most about this movie is that it stands unapologetic to itself, did not tried to make people feel relevance, just telling story as is, without adulteration with unnecessary dramas to please audience, it does not have it's own opinion on many things, it just show what the reality is. The montage scenes are very well put. The fading of cameras, 180° shots, switching frames with music is very well handled. Cinematography is excellent. In one scene, The music legend called "Maai" says in Montage scene that there are 300 heads with 300 opinions do not try to please them all. Which speaks a lot about art. And this is what director Chaitanya did with his movie. Clearly best movie made about music. Must watch on Netflix.

[@kiraz7471]

I think you're wrong about the troller part. Even Sharad's Guru said his singing was soulless. It's the famous critics who twists the vague ascetism of artists and writes juicy articles.

[@user-qt3sb7ex2f]

This movie deserves all the attention it gets. All the attention possible. Regional cinema is criminally ignored by the majority of Indians who then ask inane questions like why can't our cinema match world standards? It's not about competing with out outdoing something. It's about competing amongst ourselves to ensure a stream of remarkable content across several language industries which would incentivize excellent content.

[@user-qg8zd9zx1k]

Despite giving some highly rated gems in Indian cinema, Marathi cinema remains criminally neglected on the national scale. Many are ignorant about its existence due to the presence of a domineering Bollywood in Mumbai.

[@mananthrao1947]

खरंय तुमचं म्हणणं. 👍👍

[@snigdhadebroychowdhury2134]

I agree. And not just Marathi cinema, most regional films are neglected in India. And the irony is that some of the best talent can be found in regional cinemas.

[@dhanashreesawant5334]

thats true it is neglected because marathi lok theatre mdhye marathi movie bghnypeksha hindi ani english movie bghayala prefer kartat

[@Thepankaz1]

Not just marathi almost many regional cinemas

[@mananthrao1947]

@@dhanashreesawant5334 मराठी सिनेमे हे तेलगू तामिळ सिनेमा प्रमाणे commercial sence मध्ये कमी पडतात. दनुषं मारी सारखा commercial सिनेमा पण करतो आणि असुरन सारखा parallel सिनेमा पण आपल्या कडे फक्त सो called parallel सिनेमाचं होतो. Commercial, mass सिनेमा नाही. आपलें हिरो एकतर सचिन खेडेकर सारखे दोन पोराचे बाप असतात नाहीतर एकदमच बच्चू type स्वप्नील जोशी असतात. Mass हिरो नाही मराठी मध्ये म्हणून मराठी सिनेमे चालत नाही जास्त.

[@VarunSharma-cf7ir]

This movie is a masterpiece. I hope more and more people watch it.

[@mandarchoudhari3270]

I absolutely loved the movie. Yet another maestro by the director Chaitanya Tamhane. Disclaimer: I am writing this without the knowledge of Hindustani Classical music, however the core emotions could be very well understood. The scene where Sharad Nerurkar the protagonist goes for buying a Kurta and asks for “सिम्पल डिझाईन वाले दाखवा, जास्त पण डिझाईन नको आणि साधे पण नको ” , I could feel his restrictive ambitions. That feeling where Sharad put the restriction based on the morality or rather the classical music ethos. He does not wish to go overboard but the hidden aspirations always seeps in. That thread of ‘restrictive ambitions’ continues throughout the film. Without passing any value judgement, I felt the type of educational setup was very undemocratic. The glorified idealism of the guru, most often tend to create the falsification. The ‘abuse of a student’ or rather the ‘abuse of the obedience’ sometimes really hit hard. Direct projection of dark character is missing in movie, but the dark relationship could be very well visible. The consent given by the abusee makes the evil even more banal. Jyotiba Phule quoted that “जोपर्यंत गुलामाला गुलामगिरीची जाणीव होत नाही तोपर्यंत तो बंड करण्यास उठत नाही”. This ‘Gulamgiri’ in the ‘pursuit of perfection’ would lead the utopia, where the reality and ideals are separated from each other. The subtleties of Mumbai’s timezone are very well depicted from the backdrop of Dadar bridge’s archaic buildings to the uber cool upper Worli bridge’s new lavish buildings. Those bike rides and the constant background voice of Sumitra Bhave as Maai is soothing as well as provoking. The book Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari has very well summarised that only Homo Sapiens i.e. Humans can create fiction, that is imaginary world around in the form state boundaries, religion, token currency, etc. In the movie too, the Maai’s ‘moral absolutism’ gravitates sharad more towards Maai. The scarcity of Maai makes Sharad give undue value to the recordings of Maai. This is the core supply-demand principle of modern economics but humans can use it with their emotions and levitate anything to the extremities. The reaction Sharad gets while donating the ‘Maai’s so called rare collection hits with the reality. However, ego defensive mechanism could not let him face the harsh reality. The created bubble is so comforting, that even the small prick in it could shatter his entire existence. This can be further seen through the ill treatment given by Sharad to his student for trying out something new in life.Deadness or hollowness within him could be seen throughout the movie. Stillness of every frame vividly enlarges this impact. This creation of an artificial bubble by the Sharad is revealed through the flashback, where music critique Joshi shows the real mirror. The water thrown by Sharad on Joshi’s face is not only shutting Joshi down but washing away any further views which counter his world view. More interestingly, it jumps to the next shot where Sharad is giving bath to his Guru. Water is used in both the scenarios, one hides the truth and another glorifies the lie. The truth is often bitter also stated by the Maai. His constant rejection of his father’s talent is invariably his own mediocre projection onto his father. Sharad was the disciple but the Gurus failed him. However this disciple too failed to question. Hence it is said that an unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth. This disciple fails but the movie ‘The Disciple’ is far more than successful. This movie hits the correct chords with or without understanding of Classical Hindustani music. - Mandar Choudhari

[@bollywoodoverhollywood8139]

Habeebi we came here for Anupama’s review. The fact that you typed up an entire review on someone else’s review, it’s just...I can’t...I don’t even know where to begin.

[@kushalpat111]

Wow. Thanks for this.. Very insightful.. I had missed the reason behind the buying kurta scene.. wonderful writeup, better than Anupama's review tbh.. have you posted this text on any blog post or Facebook post where I can link and share with friends? 🙏🏻 thanks !

[@mandarchoudhari3270]

@@kushalpat111 Thank You. Not posted. You can share and just give the credits.

[@vijayshreebhat4061]

The movie is beautiful ,almost spiritual. The protagonist remains a disciple throughout, doesn't attain mastery and is aware of his shortcomings but he is determined to take forward the legacy as much as he can including using technology to showcase the musical tradition he follows and of which he is very proud in spite of his own limitations

[@user-ms5uc3vu9g]

The film deserves greater attention beyond Netflix.

[@mananthrao1947]

👍👍👍👍

[@YugandharBhalbar]

It has gotten the attention outside India already, it's the Indian audiences that need to give it the attention it deserves.

[@chongxina6086]

It has won the Best screenplay award in tiff. Agar indian log hi isko importance nahi denge toh kya hi fayda?

[@thecocoonjournal]

Review on Point!❤️ Loved this film!✨ Had kept a reminder set for it!

[@chinmayjamble4649]

yes...it is still not realsed.

[@thecocoonjournal]

@@chinmayjamble4649 It has on Netflix, please check :)

[@YugandharBhalbar]

yehi to goals hai yaar i waited this for 7 long months!

[@chinmayjamble4649]

@@YugandharBhalbar 😀😀 we all r crazy movie lover

[@spacetime_wanderer]

i too had set a reminder 😁 worth it!

[@shyamts7125]

Please avoid telling the whole story that could spoil the experience of a first time viewer.

[@SurajYadav-ge2tu]

Sumitra Bhave films are a great introduction to the unheard marathi cinema, RIP legend.

[@jatinbirajdar223]

I don't believe that the Fame performance of the girl singing was supposed to showcase that she was singing a forgetful song. It felt more of a juxtaposition with the scene where the, 'Music Reviewer' talks about fables were made about Mai to sell her, in the same way as Indian Idol picks up candidates based on which of their stories stand out more!

[@trueindian510]

what I took from this movie is, sometimes people feel that they are talented and by practice they will become perfect. but some people are so talented. for eg the girl who was learning the music with him , she got the fame as she was talented. thou she worked part time also. sometimes you should think whether it's there in you. at the end he releases it and gets into documenting and saving the art.

[@hildapeacock3312]

I have watched court and was deeply inspired by it.Have been looking forward to watching The disciple. Watched it as soon as it came on Netflix. Deeply impressed. Congratulations Tamhane and Gomber

[@MeenaHalcyon]

I have found my passion for music and I am pursuing it, but this movie shook me because it is so real. I have undergone a transformation, not for any other reason but because I feel that way. My surroundings and the people around me have no clue what has happened to me; it's like going into a rabbit hole all by yourself. Then there are people around you who leave no chance to humiliate you and rise above you with conceited, conniving motives. I know that it’s all a waste of time. I just want to sing pure music that I feel, and I feel spiritual, like I am connected with something divine. I'm just sharing my story because this is what it feels like when you leave 'darbaari' and get into 'saadhna'. Alone, aloof, and very content at the same time. The movie has that, and I have vented. Over and out 😄

[@adityaoak254]

Anupama - would like to add that while i haven't seen the movie but the character of Maai seems loosely based on the great Kishori ji Amonkar .. the actor who plays the guru in the film is Mr Arun Dravid an acclaimed hindustani classical singer himself and one of the well knows disciples of Koshori ji IRL ..

[@pranavmathur4383]

I think that the character of Maai is loosely based on Annapurna Devi, the disciple and daughter of Baba Allaudin Khan. You'll find striking similarities between them.

[@adityaoak254]

@@pranavmathur4383 Sure. Thanks for highlighting. It may be possible. My limited point was how come there wasn't even a passing mention of Mr Dravid

[@dpashokk]

Arun Dravid ji is not just a classical singer but a PhD in Chem Engg with an enviable technical career. He wouldn't mind. That being both Mr Dravid and the late Ms Bhave were tremendous in this movie.

[@adityaoak254]

@@dpashokk it's about appropriation and glossing over of facts .. anyway..

[@gr8abhi]

संगीत हे हृदयापासून निघतं, म्हणूनच हृदयाला भिडतं.. मराठी चित्रपट❤️❤️ "कलाकाराने एकटं आणि उपाशी राहायला शिकायला हवे".

[@bheeshoom]

the review was good. to the point.. but it came at the end of the video.. and more than half of the video, you just tell the story for the movie. You should not tell the story but the review.. i am here for your reviews.. and i like your perspectives on the movies. :)

[@prasadsep25]

Exactly she is spoiling the movie for those that haven't watched more than reviewing it.. at least add a disclaimer

[@mananthrao1947]

छान. Great edited, each frame looks perfect. Nice storyline.

[@aftabbuddy]

"muted but mysterious gifts" 👌

[@tejaswivemulapati287]

if u like this film highly recommend whiplash ... if u haven’t seen it already

[@hsingh053]

Whiplash to na compare kar bhai wo kaha ye kaha

[@atulyabharadwaj2279]

@@hsingh053 unfair comparison. Whiplash was a faster paced film while this a slow burn (since jazz is a more spontaneous art form than classical.) So ultimately depends on your taste.

[@nitintoopran6866]

Came to see if someone found the parallels and commented about it.

[@shahrock6969]

Begin again, mark Ruffalo movie ❤️

[@shreyamitra1]

Mai reminds me Annapurnadevi

[@shambhavijade2178]

Aditya Modak is a Chartered Accountant and well trained Classical Singer

[@chanakyapatil412]

Movies direction is really brilliant..

[@skchoraiya3472]

Sharad's struggle is, what Sartre would call, the quest for being.

[@Jokerrrz]

I also recommend the court movie from Chaitanya its a masterpiece too.

[@ishitakarra2723]

Why does she describe the entire story in the review???? I don't need to watch this film any more

[@sourabhforu]

You summed it up pretty well. The movie is PAINFULLY slow. maybe I am not polished enough to appreciate this movie. Personally found it really torturous towards the end. Nothing really happens in the movie... its pleasant to watch at first but quickly becomes boring

[@CS2K23]

Tried so hard watching it. Maybe not my cup of tea👍

[@dnyaneshmoghe6668]

How, even from far can we call this as review?

[@dip1410]

Its criminal not to be vocal about this type flim. If we dont, who will?

[@lathanarayanan8674]

Honestly. I couldn't watch this movie for more than 15mins..very slow.. Same frames repeating. Why?

[@spacetime_wanderer]

hahaha you clearly won't relate to the movie even if you watch till the end. The movie is exactly about how some arts are often not appealing to the masses.

[@noedie4973]

what if Chaitanya Tamhane wrote an answer to this comment but then closed his laptop without posting

[@lathanarayanan8674]

@@noedie4973 same here. I thought of replying, to this and then, closed the laptop.

[@123gdp]

I really doubt you understand.....

[@Shrejo33]

I agree

[@GSS77712]

I think you should set up a different segment on this channel just to review Marathi movies. There are countless treasures you can explore.

[@existential.nihilist]

Can you name a few recent Marathi films?

[@sinoper8506]

@@existential.nihilist thats why he is saying review it so that people like us will know about it.

[@GSS77712]

@@existential.nihilist Court, Katyaar Kaaljaay Ghusli, Natarang, Fandry, Natsamrat, Jogwa, Rajwade and Sons, Harishchandrachi Factory (based on Dadasaheb Phalke, the progenitor of Indian cinema), Muramba, Coffe Aani Barach Kaahi, Deeol, Sairat, Killa, Double Seat, Premachi Goshta, Ventilator, Dhurala, Anandi Gopal, Chumbak. Kaasav, The SIlence, Naal, Aani Dr. Kashinath Ghanekar.

[@GSS77712]

@@existential.nihilist I guess you are Marathi yourself going by your surname? You should be aware of Marathi films, isn't it?

[@mananthrao1947]

@@GSS77712 well said bro. हे बेन मुंबई तल दिसतंय मुंबई तले मराठी लोक हिंदी बोलतात.

[@hansadumur8461]

Hello Anupama, i really like watching ur reviews, plz review taish with harshvardhan rane. Its worth it

[@hansadumur8461]

And plz do an interview with Harsh, he deserves it

[@eeyumpeeyum]

Deserves that FC gold.

[@HanjiGuruji]

Good review !! 👍🏼

[@CopyAndConversations]

Wow, did I just see the movie without even seeing it? :|

[@chanakyapatil412]

Sirf anupaplma chopra ji ne review kiya...baki kisi ne nahi

[@paragsonalkar]

Amazing movie

[@vijayshukla8068]

No doubt, this movie is just a master price, but was not needed to show blue print or mustrubation twice in it. Otherwise, it was a best thing to gift anybody.

[@YugandharBhalbar]

In my personal opinion, I think the masturbating scenes were added to show Sharad's loneliness and lack of a partner. He's still pleasuring himself at the age of 36.

[@AbhiChede09]

It is shown only when he is really frustrated by someone else's success... Connecting it with base nature of a human

[@gmilind]

This film is made by Chaitanya Tamhane whose first Marathi movie Court ( albeit much acclaimed at film festivals ) enraged me so much for making a fool of me by the fact that, some one can take a serious film goer like me for granted to this level. Even K Bapiyaa and BC Bokadia had not done this to me in so pretentious manner. At least they were upfront about it when they made Mawali and Raja Babu type of films. Chaitanya is at it again in his latest movie The Disciple , and he takes the viewer granted for one more time and this time more boldly and brazenly and with coldness. This movie is overhyped, pretentious, the narrative is sluggish and comes from the mindset of a director who wants your total submission at the cost of your attention and more importantly sacrificing & destroying every possibility of entertaining the viewer. The result is a disastrously made movie which neither entertains and nor engages. This is a typical film festival movie which is backed by a solid name like Alfanso Curaon who made Gravity and Roma and he is the producer of this movie too. So, such brand name has ensured its visibility in many international film festivals and no one dare criticize it due to such heavy name backing it up. Even anupma Chopra was very guarded about being critical of this film and she sort of shys away from using harsh words which she is otherwise not afraid of using on films like Radhe. This movie is full of long and wide shots which Chaitanya used in his movie court too, with an intention to bring theatrical perspective to the story but with very little effect to the viewing experience or giving any dimension to the director’s vision. Slow continuous still shots of 2 to 3 minutes with regular intervals on empty streets of Mumbai with long monologues or long duration classical mehfils shots of the protagonist depicting his struggle to strive at the artform only make this experience thoroughly boring and jarring. Such long shots make this film so long, that they work further against its shallow content and its stiff upper lip type approach to its presentation. Javed saab had shared an anecdote about two types of films that are guaranteed to be definitely boring - First type - मैं मेरी फिल्म से आपको कुछ सिखाने वाला हूँ - Second type - आप ने ऐसी फिल्म पहेले कभी देखी नहीं है I am going to add the third type to it - That you submit yourself to me ( the film maker ) and watch my film. The disciple qualifies in all three types. Just avoid it . Ⓒ Milind Ghangrekar

[@dpashokk]

Sir, loved this movie. And there are a few scenes I keep going back to again and again. Well, to each their own. But you do have point in that Tamhane needs to travel down market a little bit to gain a wider audience.

[@gmilind]

@@dpashokk I like your way of expressing your opinion.

[@vijayshreebhat4061]

On the contrary I found it quite engaging .not boring because it had a certain feel to it of solitude and one minded devotion towards art classical music.Maybe everyone doesn't have a taste for it.

[@chinmayjamble4649]

movie still not released....

[@Akshay-jm4hs]

It is available on Netflix i think

[@chinmayjamble4649]

@@Akshay-jm4hs yes still it is not available on netflix

[@hrishimurkar6613]

It's streaming now on Netflix... please do check now

[@chinmayjamble4649]

yes...😀finally❤️

[@mananthrao1947]

Available on torrent. 😆😁 Plz check using VPN.

[@Pavan_512]

Its Good Movie 💖 It

[@chinmayjamble4649]

The film seemed good but should have a little fast pace.Chaintanya this time somehow disoppointed me liitle bit as i was continuously comparing this1 to court. Court was much faster and bearable than desciple. The movie is good but not as wat i expected. 3 stars.

[@anirudhkashyap6364]

It's not for you then

[@chinmayjamble4649]

@@anirudhkashyap6364 yaa...it could be

[@spacetime_wanderer]

I agree the pace is slow. But this is exactly what the movie is about. Chaitanya likely knew that he doesn't have to create a movie that is easy to sell to masses. So the movie is a commentary on itself in a way.

[@chinmayjamble4649]

@@spacetime_wanderer then OTT realese is the correct decision for this 1.

[@AbhiChede09]

Why compare with court? The subject matter is strikingly different, so the movies.

[@nishamatamp8312]

please review films without spending all the time on explaining the story.

[@swadesh8585]

Not hindustani, he is bharatiy

[@haridasjagtap5623]

No It's हिंदुस्थानी , and the other branch is कर्नाटकी संगीत - only two branches we have in Indian/bhartiy classical music

[@sumitkumar-jc2cs]

Honest Anupama chopra review of any layered film- *Yaar zyada kuch toh samajh aaya nahi. Lekin acclaimed film hai toh taarif toh Karni padegi. Chalo review me story hi bata deti hoon. Aur ye meditative, melancholy Jaise heavy art house filmo wale words daal deti hoon do chaar. (Watch her terrible review of PTA's phantom thread for more reference) I wish in shallow critics ke reviews bhi koi review karta. Koi substance nahi hota is lady ke review me :/

[@hemantsakunde6652]

Film dekh le samajh aa jayega kyu aisa bol rhi hai

[@sumitkumar-jc2cs]

@@hemantsakunde6652 Hey murkha Insaan! Waise toh Main ye film dekh chuka hoon. Lekin na dekhi hoti toh bhi mera point valid hota. Ye aurat 5 minute ke review me 4 minute toh film ki kahani hi bata rahi hai. Aisa hota hai kya review?

[@mukeshsharma50035]

While your wordings maybe be harsh and a little distasteful. I agree with your sentiment. A review shouldn't be telling the story. It should be about generating emotions whether to watch the movie or not. It should talk about themes, work of the crew and most importantly who is this movie for and who is this not for. Because people watch reviews to decide whether to watch the movie or not, so telling the story is just the worst approach to do a review. And even if a person has already seen the movie the telling him the story is even more pointless

[@HAL--gb6uf]

Not all reviewers are like this. See Roger Ebert or Richard Brody for example

[@AbhiChede09]

Yupp.. agree!.. those foreign reaction channels like jimmy cage or our stupid reactions are doing better reviews and showing better understanding.

[@debdurllavharichandan5793]

1.

[@aloe704]

PLEASE REVIEW Uppena (Netflix) - #Sairat with a twist - Blockbuster

[@Nitin_Maghade]

Also watch this marathi films kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4PMoXl-erKtba8

[@aloe704]

PLEASE REVIEW Vakeel Saab (Prime) - Masala-filled version of #Pink - Super HIT

[@nikitavaze7626]

1 time Kartik Aaryan plZ intarveew