The Disciple - Review

This is one of best Indian films I've ever seen. 

We follow the story of a classical singer Sharad Nerulkar who we see constantly participating in concerts, as well as repeatedly practicing in his house. This clearly sets up his "want", to be a great classic singer. Seeing his dedication is what makes him an engaging protagonist. 

He performs in several competitions as well as in guests' houses, asks his teacher's opinion, gives lessons, and practices singing. All these are shown to us to visually convey to us his love for this art form and how badly he wants to be great.

Now this film can understandably be compared to the masterpiece Whiplash. But it isn't that. The only similarities between them is that it follows the tale of a protagonist and his struggles of wanting to be a great musician. Other than that, the films are totally different. One is a fast paced, tension inducing film. Whereas this is a much more slow and meditative piece. 

Chaitanya Tamhane's direction is another reason for the film's tone. It contains of many brilliantly staged shots that manage to portray the character's inner feelings visually, which is the essence of great visual storytelling. It's staging is fantastic as it visually tells us here to look, where our focus should be. 

In this shot, since Sharad isn't performing too well, he's placed in between 2 singers, adding to his rising claustrophobia of being pushed inside the frame as he feels inferior at this point in the film. 

In this shot, it's similar to the first one, but there's a noticeable gap between them indicating his emotional detachment from his teacher at this point in time. 

In this shot, Sharad is framed in the centre, so as to taking centre stage of leadership and control, but he's bent showing us his frustration and uncertainty due to his conditions and struggle. 

And this shot near the climax is also masterfully framed as it breaks the rule of telling us where to look. Instead, we have to look around to find Sharad, making us feel lost like him. And when we do find him to the bottom right, he looks small and clustered to show how small and insignificant he feels. 

And right after this shot, we see a street side musician singing hopelessly as he had no future. And those who did, were not who they were earlier. And that's tragic. 

Alfonso Cuaron, a cinematic genius helped Chaitanya in the making of this film and the irony is that the filmmaking styles of these two filmmakers are completely opposite. 

Cuaron's style involves an active, often handheld camera that is constantly in motion, giving the camera itself a character that strives to find and answer. 

Meanwhile Tamhane's style is more slow and peaceful where the camera behaves as a passive character. Often viewing these characters at a distance. It's this shooting style and choice of framing that provides the film it's tone of a soothing and meditative tale that makes us feel tranquility. 

When the characters talk about what they love about classical music and all the beautiful performers, it works because it feels as if Tamhane himself is letting out his thoughts on music, and his love and endless fascination with classical music through his characters. This is why the film feels like a personal love letter to this art form, giving it a heart and soul. 

But it isn't all sunshine and rainbows. In a, what seems to be, casual conversation about music, Sharad learns the real and ugly truth behind his idols. Their dark pasts and their insecurities. This understandably breaks him, and forces him to question his beliefs and love towards them. But it's necessary for us and Sharad to learn that these idols and icons we worship are not just artists, but also human beings that are extremely flawed, and have more to them than their public persona. The sooner we understand and accept this, the better. 

One of the best moments of the film is when Sharad sees a young town girl performing classical music on those television talent shows, and with each passing performance, she rises to fame. Alienating Sharad. But her fame comes at a cost. Every step of her ascent takes her further away from her original self. In her final shot, she's wearing extensive make up, on a lavish set singing a forgettable song, but she has made a mark. It's a brutal and inglorious ascension of fame, but descent of one's true self as a result of that fame.

This film revived my love for classical music, and that's a big thing. Many films are enjoyed by audiences, and are forgotten. But I feel the best kind of films are the ones that stay, and resonate with you. This film does. It made me appreciate this dying art form that i had overlooked as "outdated" as a kid. The sheer perseverance and hard work that goes into performing this piece of music is expertly showcased and made me want to run to a concert and listen to them right now. The way the film does this, isn't through the use of lazy exposition, but through the use of it's camerawork.

In most of the scenes where the artists are performing, the camera just stays dead still, allowing us to focus only on the musicians. No emphasis is given to any one performer. It is usually a wide shot showing everyone within frame, giving visual importance to each and every performer.

The scenes where Sharad listens to an ancient singer's lectures about life and failures when riding his bike, was one of the most beautiful scenes in cinematic history as the singer's voice provides a piece of "Diegetic" sound to the film. 

("Diegetic" in cinema typically refers to sound or music that exists within the world of the film, that can be experienced by the characters residing within it.)

These scenes of Sharad riding his bike is vital and distinctive because firstly, the lectures are actually quite inspiring, and applies not only to music, but to life in general. Secondly, it's shot differently from the other scenes. Unlike the other scenes, the camera is actively moving with Sharad, making it important to us that what he's hearing is important for him. And I think it's in slow motion because when hearing what she has to say, he's in a sort of cordial trance making him feel like the world around him is slow. And when he once removes his earphones, (the source of her lectures) the world speeds up. Giving him a visual reality check. 

In an industry where remakes of old music is a trend, here's a film that boldly makes itself known and unapologetically explores the subtle nuances and beauty of classical music. The sitar, sarod, tambura shahnai and table are all pawns to the overall game that, when played together, produce a harmonious and praiseworthy piece of music that truly mesmerised me. It's an experience like no other. 

Films like "The Disciple" are the film that need to be talked and discussed in my opinion. They are the pieces of art that can be endlessly theorised and analysed upon, giving it a sense of timeless quality. 

Upon first hearing about this picture, I searched for it everywhere. Every OTT platform and site, but couldn't find it. And that's the real tragedy. Just like this film talks about many ancient musical pieces being lost as time went by and moved on, this film too was lost under the weight of terrible and mediocre films and media, that became popular amongst the masses. 

But it isn't as bleak is I first thought it out to be. Netflix decided to show the film, and I couldn't be happier. This is the real magic of such online platforms. We get to see small and personal films, that otherwise would have been lost and ignored on theatrical release. [Thank You Netflix]

This film makes me want to write better stories and shoot films, and that itself is enough to know the film's quality. 

The Disciple is one of the best Indian films I've ever seen, and i just explained to you why. Hope you make the smart choice of watching this film, and make some good use of your time. 

Thank Your for Reading

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