Classic tale of musician’s struggle to master his craft
THE award-winning Marathi drama, which recently premiered on Netflix, came to global attention after being screened in the main competition section of the 77th Venice International Film Festival in 2020 to great acclaim, and also successfully competing at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival.
The story revolves around a young musician who has spent his life trying to master Indian classical music with the help of mentors and old recordings. He devotes all his time to honing a craft that takes a lifetime to perfect in a fast-moving world which has little time for classical tradition. While on this seemingly endless quest for musical enlightenment, he is also haunted by the failure of his father, who tried making it in the same field and must contend with obstacles, including his own poverty and the passage of time, until we encounter him again, when he is older.
The slow-burning drama has a simple story with a lot of depth, which pretty much any classical Indian musician will relate to. It will also connect with those who have struggled to realise a lifelong dream. The writing and directing prove that less can very much be more, as the audience gets caught up in a journey that means everything to the protagonist. Not surprisingly, there are plenty of life lessons to be learned along the way as the story slowly drives towards a strong, thought-provoking finale.
Those who understand Hindustani classical music and all the nuances associated with it will take most away from this movie, while others who are not connected to that form of music or artistry will find it harder to access the film and may find it a little slow. But that shouldn’t stop viewers from checking out this enriching Netflix movie, which is genuinely different from most Indian films that have been released in recent years.