James R | On 27, Jan 2021

Netflix has picked up the rights to The Disciple, directed by Chaitanya Tamhane and executive produced by Alfonso Cuarón.

The Disciple is a Marathi drama film written, directed and edited by Tamhane.

It tells the story of Sharad Nerulkar, who devoted his life to becoming an Indian classical music vocalist, diligently following the traditions and discipline of the old masters, his guru and his father. But as the years go by, Sharad starts to wonder whether it’s really possible to achieve the excellence he’s striving for. This is a journey of devotion, passion, and searching for the absolute in contemporary Mumbai.

The film stars Aditya Modak, Arun Dravid, Sumitra Bhave, Deepika Bhide Bhagwat and Kiran Yadnyopavit. It played at the 77th Venice International Film Festival, where it was awarded the FIPRESCI International Critics Prize and the Best Screenplay prize . It was also screened at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival, where it was named a winner of the Amplify Voices Award. Earlier this week, the film was nominated at the Film Independent Spirit Awards under the Best International Feature category.

Tamhane says: “The story of The Disciple came from my own search for excellence and direction. It’s about how many of us follow all the rules and yet, sometimes, find that something is missing. I was honoured to get the opportunity to work with a creative genius (and my mentor) like Alfonso Cuarón – who directed Roma and Gravity. And now, not only has Netflix acquired it to stream to a discerning global audience. I’m truly grateful and humbled that global industry stalwarts have found this film worthy. A great deal of research goes into making a film and my aim as a filmmaker has always been to tell my story authentically within a dramatic framework. One also needs to afford the audience intelligence and intuition to be able to invest in your story, no matter what the cultural context may be. I’m glad this approach worked out well for The Disciple.”

Cuarón adds: “I believe Chaitanya is one of the most important new voices of contemporary cinema and I’m thrilled The Disciple will be able to be enjoyed by audiences all around the world.”

Pratiksha Rao, Director of Content Acquisition at Netflix India, commented: “We want to be the home for India’s finest films and filmmakers. As we expand our film slate and tell more diverse stories from across the country, we are thrilled to be the home for Chaitanya Tamhane’s, The Disciple. The film is a beautiful story of aspiration, struggle and self-doubt, and celebrates the magic of visual storytelling in the backdrop of Indian classical music, that we can’t wait to share with the world.”

Watch this space for a release date.

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