After winning a Golden Globe, RRR’s ‘Naatu Naatu’ from India is nominated in the ‘Original Song’ category at the Oscars. Nominated are composer MM Keeravani and lyricist Chandrabose. They compete with other major films like Top Gun: Maverick and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. This nomination could bring the country another award ever since Slumdog Millionaire’s triumph for ‘Jai Ho’.
Shaunak Sen’s All That Breathes is also representing India in the ‘Documentary Feature Film’ category. Guneet Monga’s The Elephant Whisperers is nominated in the ‘Documentary Short Film’ department.
Naatu Naatu is a four-and-a-half-minute stomper of a song, features Charan and Jr NTR, and has had thousands grooving to its beat. Their energetic moves have inspired viral trends on social media in India and globally.
Choreographer Prem Rakshit claims that he composed nearly 95 dance steps for the song – with 30 different versions of the significant step in the chorus alone. Reportedly, it took about 19 months from development to the final product. It is a fusion of dance genres.
Penned and helmed by Rajamouli, RRR (Rise, Roar, Revolt) is a historical fantasy that tells the story of two revolutionaries who fight against British rule in India – superstars Ram Charan and Jr NTR play the lead roles.
Among India’s most expensive films, the dazzling action epic has been a huge box-office success – not just locally but also in the US. A Hindi dubbed version of the film on Netflix was among the platform’s Top 10 most-watched titles in the US for weeks when it was released in May 2022.
The 95th Academy Awards will take place on March 12, 2023, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
