RRR, directed by S.S. Rajamouli and one of the recent sensations of the Indian cinema industry, has been on the popularity radar more times than we can count this year. So far, the film has received 125 nominations and 49 awards, including Best Song for Naatu Naatu at the Golden Globe Awards. Since 2009, when A.R. Rahman won with Slumdog Millionaire, the Indian film industry has not seen an Oscar. But now, in 2023, with an Oscar nomination under its belt, RRR has proven once again the global impact of Indian cinema.
This year’s Oscar nominees for Original Song include Applause (Tell It Like a Woman), Hold My Hand (Top Gun: Maverick), Lift Me Up (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), This Is a Life (Everything Everywhere All At Once), and lastly Naatu Naatu from RRR. The song has received significant praise from both Indian and worldwide audiences, making it one of 2022’s most popular movie songs. With that in mind, how probable is it that Naatu Naatu will win Best Original Song at the Oscars this year?
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The Brilliance of Naatu Naatu
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The song begins with two Indian men dressed in Western attire attempting to convey the authentic tradition of Indian dance to the British during their reign over the country. “Not salsa, not flamenco, brother; Do you know Naatu?” This dialogue serves as a foundation, breaking all the conventional rules of traditional dancing as they kick up the dust and produce stunning moves with perfection. Both stars, Jr NTR and Ram Charan, coordinate the moves as though they’re equally proficient at it, but they emerge superior to everyone else on the stage.
The use of suspenders to generate flawless motions is one of the best in film choreography history, and slowing it down to give it a closer look makes it a much more spectacular move than it appears. With M.M. Keeravani’s phenomenal composition and the energy demonstrated by both actors throughout the song, Naatu Naatu is surely a strong contender for the Oscars this time. In an interview with Goldderby, M.M. Keeravani explained what the song aims to convey to audiences.
The Song Is Applauded Around the World
If popularity were a criterion at the Oscars, Naatu Naatu would win by a wide margin, as the song is loved by both Asian and Western audiences. The song captivated the audiences with breathtaking moves never seen before in any film — not even in Indian classics. The amount of work that went into this masterpiece exceeded our expectations, as it took 17 days to complete filming and numerous reshoots to achieve the precise shot. Furthermore, since the film did not come from Bollywood, which has been the trademark of Indian cinema since its inception, it quickly established a huge appreciation for Tollywood.
“This is what we are, let us present ourselves with what we’ve learned, what we know, what we enjoyed in our childhood. It’s an earthly beat, a rustic percussion. So let us enjoy this beat, this 6/8 signature beat talking about all the things we enjoy, all the things we feel energetic and feel high about, all the things that belong to the motherland, and everything about us. So just look at us. It’s kind of exhibiting and displaying and showcasing their inner energy, packed with lots of stamina.”
Naatu Naatu has won numerous international awards and was the first Indian song to win at the Golden Globe Awards, besting nominees such as Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, and Rihanna. Despite its widespread acclaim and winning several awards, the song’s presence on the Oscar shortlists for Best Original Song may be largely attributed to its success at the 80th Golden Globe Awards. Apparently, many renowned celebrities in Hollywood are big fans of Naatu Naatu, with even the sensational director James Cameron revealing his admiration after seeing the film RRR. Although he didn’t specifically mention the song, his feelings about the film increased to the song’s widespread fame. James Cameron’s precise statements to S.S. Rajamouli and M.M. Keeravani were as follows.
That being said, it is not entirely one-sided, as all the contenders for Best Original Song are as popular as Naatu Naatu, and several have even left a lasting impression on fans, particularly This Is a Life from Everything Everywhere All At Once and Lift Me Up from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. While winning an Oscar may seem like a far-fetched dream for RRR fans, we’ve gotten as far as nominations, and one more step is still achievable, given all the odds the film overcame.
“Now, watching your characters…It’s just like such a feeling to watch them. And the setup… Your fire, water story. Reveal after reveal. And then you show what happened in the backstory. It’s like all of them are a homely setup. Why he’s doing what he’s doing and the twists and turns and the friendship, and eventually it gets to a point that where he can’t even kill him when the other reverses…It’s just so, so powerful. And you composed it, right? Because I saw you at the Golden Globes. The score, it’s kind of amazing. Because I like the music to kinda stay out of the way and kinda come on in and support when the audience is already feeling something so it builds the theme. But you are using the music very differently.”
