Gravity and Roma director Alfonso Cuaron to back Chaitanya Tamhane's The Disciple

A few years ago, Chaitany Tamhane, director of the globally acclaimed Marathi film 'Court', was in the news for an interesting association. He had been selected as a protege of acclaimed director Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity, Roma, Children of Men) in the the Rolex Mentor & Protégés Arts Initiative.
Speaking to us then, Chaitanya had said, "It is a fantastic opportunity for me to be mentored by a director of Cuaron's stature.I will be spending a year with him and am looking forward to learn a lot, bounce off ideas and more."

Now, it seems their time together has borne fruit. According to a report in Deadline, Cuaron, the Oscar winning director of 'Roma' and 'Gravity', is backing Chaitanya's second Marathi feature film, 'The Disciple'. The report says that Cuaron is the executive producer of 'The Disciple' and quotes him as saying, "He (Chaitanya) was part of most of Roma’s process and I jumped to the opportunity to be part of the process of his second film The Disciple,” Cuarón said. “I believe Chaitanya is one of the most important new voices of contemporary cinema.”
Vivek Gomber, who had produced 'Court' and also acted in it, is producing 'The Disciple'.

The Disciple is the only Indian film in the last 19 years to be competing in the Venice Film Festival's main competition, in the running for the Golden Lion. The last Indian film to compete for and win the award was Mira Nair's 'Monsoon Wedding'.

Speakng about the selection, Chaitanya, in a statement, had said, "Speaking about the same, Chaitanya said, "Over the last 76 years, the competition in Venice has showcased some of the absolute best films in cinema history. It is an overwhelming feeling to know that The Disciple has been selected for this honour. This is an important milestone not just for us but also for the Indian independent cinema movement. The film has been a true labour of love, I am relieved and happy that it has found such a great start for its journey even in these tough times.”
The film features Aditya Modak, Arun Dravid, Kiran Yadnyopavit, Sumitra Bhave and Deepika Bhide Bhagwat, among others. The Disciple has it's crux in the Indian classical music tradition and revolves around Sharad Nerulkar, who has devoted himself to becoming an Indian classical vocalist. Initiated into this centuries-old tradition by his father, he follows his dream. Sharad traces his way through the hallowed mysteries and rituals of past musical legends. But as the years pass, he will be forced to negotiate between the complex realities of life in contemporary Mumbai and his chosen path.