It’s time to go ‘Naatu Naatu,’ India! SS Rajamouli’s RRR has created history by becoming the first Indian feature film to win an Oscar. The film’s ‘Naatu Naatu’ soundtrack by MM Keeravani was awarded the Best Original Song Award at the ongoing 95th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, United States.
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.
Composer Keeravani, along with lyricist Chandrabose, collected the award. Keeravani delivered his acceptance speech in the form of a re-written Carpenters song
“I grew up listening to The Carpenters and now here I am with the Oscars. There was only one wish on my mind, so was Rajamouli’s and our families’... ‘RRR’ has to win… Pride of every Indian… must put me on the top of the world,” Keeravani said in tune to The Carpenters’ 1970s song Top of the World.
Meanwhile, Chandrabose simply said, “Namaste!”
The win also makes Naatu Naatu the first song from an Indian movie to win an Oscar. Earlier today, the Oscar ceremony couldn’t get enough of ‘Naatu Naatu’ as the track’s singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava gave a stellar performance at the ceremony. The performance got them a standing ovation.
Notably, ‘Naatu Naatu’ won the Golden Globe for the best song earlier this month. The win made RRR the first Indian film to win a Golden Globe. The song is composed by music director MM Keeravaani, and sung by Kala Bhairava and Rahul Sipligunj, with lyrics by Chandrabose.
Drawing inspiration from the lives of freedom fighters Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitarama Raju, RRR narrates a fictional tale set in the 1920s. The film boasts an ensemble cast, starring the likes of Jr NTR, Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, Olivia Morris, Samuthirakani, Alison Doody, and Ray Stevenson.
It is to be noted that ‘Jai Ho’, composed by AR Rahman and penned by Gulzar, from the 2008 British film Slumdog Millionaire became the first Hindi song to win an Academy Award in the Best Original Score and Original Song categories.
