“Writing The Disciple was by far the most challenging and painful endeavour I have ever undertaken. This honour means a lot to me and will encourage me to push my own boundaries further,” says Chaitanya Tamhane whose The Disciple won the Best Screenplay award at the prestigious Venice Film Festival (September 2-12) on Saturday. The Marathi-language movie, about the personal and professional experiences of a Hindustani classical singer, was among 18 titles in the competition section.
The Disciple has been produced by Vivek Gomber’s company Zoo Entertainment. Alfonso Cuaron, the director of Gravity and Roma, is the executive producer. The movie’s cast includes classical musicians, including lead actor Aditya Modak. The music design is by Aneesh Pradhan. The 33 year-old Tamhane described the journey of the lead character: “He’s a young vocalist, raised and introduced to music by his father. He has grown up on stories of the past, these secrets, modern-day myths and masters, purist concepts of music, and how one should live their life in accordance with them. But it’s also an emotional film. It is universal despite being set in the world of Indian classical music.”
