New York Times critics choose Chaitanya Tamhane’s The Disciple in their Oscar picks

If The New York Times movie critics had their way, Chaitanya Tamhane’s The Disciple (2021) would be nominated for several Oscars.

In the Sunday edition of The New York Times, chief movie critic Manohla Dargis singled out the Marathi film for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay while AO Scott selected Aditya Modak for Best Actor.

Of course, these are not the official nominations, but the critics selecting the artistes they would honour for cinema’s biggest prize.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce its nominations for the annual awards on 8 February, while the live ceremony is scheduled to take place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on 27 March.

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Since its premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in 2020, Tamhane's second film has been critically acclaimed. The Disciple follows devoted student Sharad Nerulkar (Modak) over the years as he dedicates his life to master the intricacies of Hindustani classical music.

The film won the FIPRESCI and Best Screenplay awards at Venice, and the Amplify Voices award at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2020.

Last year, Tamhane was awarded the Best Screenplay prize at the 15th Asian Film Awards in Busan, South Korea.

First-time actor Modak, who is a classical vocalist in real life, was named Best Actor at the 18th International Cinephile Awards 2021.