Chaitanya Tamhane's 'The Disciple' Wins Best Screenplay Award At Venice International Film Festival 2020

‘The Disciple’ stars Aditya Modak, Arun Dravid, Sumitra Bhave, Deepika Bhide Bhagwat, and Kiran Yadnyopavit. Read on to know full details.

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New Delhi: The last time any Indian film competed in the main category at the ‘Venice International Film Festival’ was the 2001 film ‘Monsoon Wedding’. Directed by Mira Nair, this movie won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. Now, after 19 years, India has again triumphed at the ‘Venice International Film Festival’ as Chaitanya Tamhane’s film ‘The Disciple’ won the Best Screenplay Award at the film festival this year.

‘The Disciple’ is a Marathi movie written and directed by Chaitanya Tamhane. The movie stars Aditya Modak, Arun Dravid, Sumitra Bhave, Deepika Bhide Bhagwat, and Kiran Yadnyopavit.

The plot of the movie revolves around the life of ‘Sharad Nerulkar’ portrayed by Aditya Modak who yearns to become an Indian classical music vocalist and devotes his life for the same. The protagonist diligently follows the footsteps of his old masters, his guru and his father, but as time flies, he starts to wonder if it is really possible to achieve the excellence he is striving for.

‘The Disciple’ also sees Oscar-winning Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón as an executive producer.

The Venice International Film Festival saw Chinese-American filmmaker Chloe Zhao bagging the top prize of the coveted Golden Lion for her drama ‘Nomadland’. Chloe Zhao’s movie stars Oscar-winner Frances McDormand as the lead.

Speaking about his movie, Chaitanya said in a statement, “Writing The Disciple was by far the most challenging and painful endeavour I have ever undertaken. This honour means a lot to me and it will encourage me to keep pushing my own boundaries even further. I want to dedicate this award to all the musicians, researchers, authors, and historians who helped open the doors to the incredible world of Indian classical music for me.”

‘The Disciple’ was also among the official selection of the ‘Toronto International Film Festival 2020’.

Stay tuned for more updates!