A track from the Telugu blockbuster RRR, Short for Rise Roar Revolt, Naatu Naatu was the first Indian film song to be nominated for an Oscar. Now ‘RRR’ creates history, ‘Naatu Naatu’ wins Best Original Song. With this win, ‘RRR’ has become the first Indian feature production to win an Oscar.
Its singers also performed at the Academy Awards, which are being telecast in India on Monday morning.
The song became a global sensation after the film’s release in the US last year – inspiring endless Instagram reels and dance trends on social media – where its fast tempo and synchronized choreography became an instant hit with audiences.
Oscar 2023: SS Rajamouli’s RRR’s ‘Naatu Naatu’ wins Best Original Song Award
The song competed against ‘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 Life’ from Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Best Original Song goes to ‘Naatu Naatu’ from ‘RRR’ #Oscars #Oscars95 pic.twitter.com/ptah2GWLJH
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 13, 2023
Composed by MM Keeravani with lyrics penned by Chandrabose, Naatu Naatu made history once in January when it won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song beating contenders like Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and Lady Gaga. The song also won the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Song in the same month.
The film’s director SS Rajamouli told Vanity Fair, “It’s not just because of the music or the dance – the entire story of RRR can be summed up in these 10 minutes of Naatu Naatu.”
A historical fantasy starring superstar Ram Charan and Jr. NTR in lead roles, RRR tells the fictional story of two revolutionaries fighting against British rule in India.
Rajamouli says he envisioned Naatu Naatu as a “fight scene” in which two freedom fighters bring a British officer to his knees – through dance.
“The song is a story within the film’s larger story,” the filmmaker said.
In 2020, when RRR was still in production, all Rajamouli had told Keeravani was that he needed a song that showcased his heroes’ dancing talents.
Keeravani then turned to his favorite lyricist Chandrabose and said: “Write whatever you like. But this story is from the 1920s, so use words appropriate to the time.”
Working without any raga or melody, Chandrabose first came up with the hook line “Naatu Naatu”, which means “dance, dance” in Telugu.
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He told BBC Telugu that he wrote a fast-paced song with a fast beat, which he knew Keeravani would like. The beat is used in the folk songs of India’s two Telugu-speaking states – Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Drawing inspiration from his childhood in Telangana, Chandrabose incorporated several folk references into the song such as eating chilli with jowar roti (red sorghum bread).
Chandrabose said that most of the song was completed in two days. But the remaining parts took 19 months to assemble.
Rajamouli and Keerwani credited the success of Naatu Naatu to the song’s choreographer Prem Rakshit, who created around 95 dance steps for the track.
“Each of them [actors] has their own style,” Rajamouli had previously said in an interview. “So he had to find something that would fit both.”
Rakshit said he created 30 versions of the signature step in which NTR Jr. and Ram Charan dance with their arms around each other. The hilarious sequence had to be improvised after Charan asked the director “can they do something” with the costumes?
The song culminates in a marathon dance-off as all the dancers kick up a storm, slowly collapsing one by one in exhaustion until only the heroes are left standing.
Ram Charan and NTR Jr then turn to challenge each other and a dance competition ensues between the two heroes. Rajamouli said that he has tried to present the themes of the film through the sequence of friendship, rivalry, and solidarity.
And the rest is history.
Ever since the film was released last year, fans have been trying to replicate the intricate foot swivels and catchy dance moves. At film screenings in Los Angeles, audiences were often seen running on stage to dance when the song played.
Although the track was shot in front of the Mariinskyi Palace, a huge navy-blue structure in Ukraine, Rajamouli said he aimed to recreate the atmosphere of an Indian village. In past interviews, the director has admitted that people called him “crazy” for shooting in a country on the brink of war.
The team shot the song with 150 dancers and a crew of 200 people, working 12 hours a day over 15 days.
Rakshit said that every time he okayed a take, Rajamouli would ask for “one more” shot.
“He went frame by frame to make sure we were in sync,” Charan said in an interview.
Even after almost a year of its release, this song is very popular among the audience. And even with the Oscar win, excitement shows no sign of dying down.
As Charan said, “The song is no longer our song. It belongs to the public. People of different age groups and cultures have embraced it.”
