[10] Sharad Nerulkar has devoted his life to becoming an Indian classical music vocalist, diligently following the traditions and discipline of old masters, his guru, and his father.

After the release of his debut directorial film Court in April 2015, Chaitanya Tamhane worked through an extensive research to write a script based on Indian classical music in September 2015.

Around March 2016, he started the writing works of the project which took more than 18 months to complete, as Chaitanya stated that "the first page of the script, was very difficult to crack.

But he is also trying to navigate a practical, real life.During the period of writing, Chaitanya was guided by Alfonso Cuaron whom he met during the 2016-2017 edition of the Rolex Mentor and Protege Arts Initiative.

In an Hindustan Times interview, he added "We went with a newcomer [Aditya Modak, a classical singer and chartered accountant] because we figured it would be easier to get a musician who could act rather than vice-versa.

"[14] In Baradwaj Rangan's interview with Film Companion, Tamhane added that the essential conflict in The Disciple comes from Grey Elephants — the play he made with Vivek Gomber.

He further added that "I fell in love with the theatre field because of all these stories, and secrets, this lost, ancient knowledge, and this complex, intimidating genre of music with roots in religion and spirituality.

"[15] In a 2020 interview for Scroll.in, Tamhane added that The Disciple is made with "an amalgamation of insights" which he gained during the film's research, and also becoming his personal story, stating that "Though cinema is a much younger medium, technology booming in the 21st century, are issues relevant to Indian classical music as well".

[12] Tamhane approached Aneesh Pradhan, a former tabla player and music historian, whom he shared a rapport after appreciating the director's debut film Court.

On describing Pradhan's music in detail, he stated that "Even if the musicians are performing traditional bandishes, they have to be curated, customised, and modified for the film.

Tamhane was present at the sound mixing of Roma, and spent time with the engineers who trained him in using the tool more efficiently, which played a key part in the film's script.

The website's consensus reads: "The rare film that captures the passion that drives the mastery of creative pursuits, The Disciple reaffirms writer-director Chaitanya Tamhane as an emerging master of his craft.

[27] Nick Allen of RogerEbert.com gave the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, comparing it to Inside Llewyn Davis and wrote that it is "a great example of when filmmaking and acting styles complement each other," and calling Modak's performance "incredible.