Indians broke into a celebration on Monday after “Naatu Naatu,” the breakout hit from the action movie “RRR,” won the Academy Award for best original song, making history as the first movie from the country to win the honour.
In the category, the Telugu song was nominated alongside ‘Applause’ from “Tell It Like a Woman”, ‘Hold My Hand’ from “Top Gun: Maverick”, ‘Lift Me Up’ from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and ‘This Is a Life’ from “Everything Everywhere All at Once”.
This is the third major international recognition for the chartbuster “Naatu Naatu”, composed by MM Keeravaani and penned by Chandrabose, after a Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award.
The song – a fast-paced number that has found fans all over the world, spawned a TikTok challenge and has millions of views on YouTube – won a standing ovation when it was performed at the 95th Academy Awards on Sunday night.
Indians had won Oscars previously, but no Indian film had won an Academy Award before Sunday night in Los Angles. “RRR” and “The Elephant Whisperers,” which won best documentary short film, gave the country two Oscar-winning films in one night.
“RRR” (Rise Roar Revolt), a pre-independence fictional story, follows two real-life Indian revolutionaries – Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan) and Komaram Bheem (Jr NTR) – in the 1920s.
And we did it… #Oscars95 #NaatuNaatu #RRRMovie
Congratulations @mmkeeravaani Sir ji, Jakkanna @ssrajamouli , @boselyricist garu, the entire team and the nation 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/LCGRUN4iSs
— Jr NTR (@tarak9999) March 13, 2023
“Naatu Naatu” celebrates the inclusive spirit of dance and bonhomie and features Charan and Jr NTR matching steps to its catchy rhythm. The title of the track translates to bucolic in Telugu.
It demonstrates the spirit of fun in country music in its over 4.35 minutes of runtime. “Jai Ho” from the 2008 British film “Slumdog Millionaire”, directed by Danny Boyle, was the first Hindi song to win an Academy Award in the Best Original Score and Original Song categories.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country is proud and elated with “Naatu Naatu” winning an Oscar and hailed the song as one that will be remembered for years to come.
Exceptional!
The popularity of ‘Naatu Naatu’ is global. It will be a song that will be remembered for years to come. Congratulations to @mmkeeravaani, @boselyricist and the entire team for this prestigious honour.
India is elated and proud. #Oscars https://t.co/cANG5wHROt
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 13, 2023
“Congratulations to MM Keeravaani, Chandrabose and the entire team for this prestigious honour. India is elated and proud,” Modi said in a tweet. “Naatu Naatu”, “Naacho Naacho” in Hindi, was composed by Keeravaani and penned by Chandrabose.
Congratulations to @EarthSpectrum, @guneetm and the entire team of ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ for this honour. Their work wonderfully highlights the importance of sustainable development and living in harmony with nature. #Oscars https://t.co/S3J9TbJ0OP
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 13, 2023
In another tweet, the prime minister congratulated director Kartiki Gonsalves, producer Guneet Monga and the entire team of “The Elephant Whisperers” for winning the Oscar award.
