The Disciple

The Disciple, directed by Chaitanya Tamhane, is an Indian film about Sharad Nerulkar, a vocalist devoted to mastering Hindustani classical music, who begins to question whether the mastery he seeks through the traditional guru-disciple method is truly attainable. The director has said writing the script's first page took 22 months, while he finished the rest in just two; lead actor Aditya Modak was deliberately chosen not for acting experience but because he is a genuinely trained Hindustani classical vocalist. Roma director Alfonso Cuarón served as the film's executive producer and mentor. The film became the first Indian film to enter the main competition at the Venice Film Festival since Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding in 2001, and won the Golden Osella for Best Screenplay there. Who it's for: anyone curious about an Indian film whose director spent 22 months writing its first page, starring a real classical musician, and won an award at Venice. Who it's not for: those wanting a fast paced, dramatic music film, since it explores the quiet, introspective crisis of chasing artistic mastery.