After FIPRESCI, Chaitanya Tamhane’s The Disciple gets Best Screenplay award at Venice

A day after winning the FIPRESCI award, Chaitanya Tamhane’s The Disciple was awarded the Best Screenplay award at the closing ceremony of the 77th edition of the Venice International Film Festival.

Tamhane, who accepted the award virtually, 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 Marathi film, starring Aditya Modak, had its world premiere at the festival last week and was the first Indian film in 19 years to be screened in competition at the festival after Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding (2001).

The jury was led by Oscar winner Cate Blanchett and included British filmmaker Joanna Hogg, French actress Ludivine Sagnier, Austrian filmmaker Veronika Franz, German filmmaker Christian Petzold, American actor Matt Dillon and Italian writer Nicola Lagioia.

“To win a Best Screenplay award amongst such stalwarts is just an incredible feat,” producer Vivek Gomber said. “I am really grateful to the jury and very proud of Chaitanya. It’s the hardest and the loneliest job, but the final script was also what convinced me to back the film.”

Tamhane’s directorial debut Court (2015), also produced by Gomber’s Zoo Entertainment, had earlier won the Best Film (Orizzonti) award, while the director had received the Lion of the Future Award in 2014.

Incidentally, the film’s executive producer Alfonso Cuarón had won the same award in 2001 with his brother Carlos Cuarón for their film Y Tu Mamá También (2001).