Oscars 2023: RRR's Naatu Naatu wins best original song

Naatu Naatu, a song from the Telugu megahit RRR (Rise Roar Revolt), was the first Indian movie music to be nominated for an Oscar. The Academy Awards, which are being broadcast in India on Monday morning, featured performances from its artists as well.

After the movie's US release last year, the song went viral around the world, inspiring endless Instagram reels and dance crazes on social media. The song's quick tempo and synchronized choreography were an immediate success with audiences.

Naatu Naatu, an original song by MM Keeravani with lyrics by Chandrabose, made history in January when it received the Golden Globe for best song, besting competitors like Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and Lady Gaga. The song earned the Critics' Choice Award that same month.

The complete story of RRR can be summarized in these 10 minutes of Naatu Naatu, the film's director, SS Rajamouli, told Vanity Fair. "It's not just because of the music or the dance," he added. Superstars Ram Charan and Jr. NTR appear in the historical fantasy RRR, which tells the fictional tale of two revolutionaries who struggle against British rule in India.

Naatu Naatu, according to Rajamouli, was intended to be a "fight scene" in which two freedom fighters use dance to reduce a British officer to his knees. All Rajamouli said to Keeravani in 2020, when RRR was still being made, was that he required a song to highlight the dancing prowess of his heroes.

Write whatever you want, Keeravani commanded his favorite poet Chandrabose. However, since this tale is set in the 1920s, use period-appropriate language. Chandrabose first came up with the Telugu phrase "Naatu Naatu," which translates to "raw and rustic," because he had no melody or song to work with.

He admitted to writing a fast-paced, upbeat tune that he knew Keeravani would enjoy to BBC Telugu. The beat is frequently used in folk songs from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the two Telugu-speaking regions in India.

Chandrabose included a number of folk references in the tune that were inspired by his Telangana childhood, such as eating chilli with jowar roti (red sorghum bread). Chandrabose claimed that the bulk of the song was finished in just two days. However, the final piece required 19 months to put together. The popularity of Naatu Naatu, according to Rajamouli and Keeravani, can be attributed in large part to Prem Rakshit, who created about 95 dance steps for the song.

"Each of them have their own style," Rajamouli said in a previous interview. He had to find a solution that worked for both of them, so. Rakshit claimed to have created 30 variations of the famous move in which Ram Charan and NTR Jr. perform while encircling each other with their arms. Charan requested the director "if they could do something" with the costume, forcing the director to further improvise the delightful scene.

The song ends with a lengthy dance-off in which every performer gives it their all before gradually passing out from exhaustion and leaving only the heroes remaining. The fight between Ram Charan and NTR Jr. is then followed by a dance-off between the two protagonists. Through the scene, according to Rajamouli, he aimed to establish the film's themes of friendship, competition, and unity.

Fans have been trying to imitate the intricate foot swivels and catchy dance movements ever since the movie's release last year. Audiences in Los Angeles were frequently observed rushing to the stage to perform during movie showings.

Although the track was filmed in front of the stunning sea-blue Mariinskyi Palace, which serves as the formal residence of the president of Ukraine, Rajamouli claimed his intention was to imitate the feel of an Indian village. The director has admitted in previous interviews that he received the label of "crazy" from people for choosing to film in a nation on the verge of conflict. The team used 150 dancers and a 200-person crew to film the music over the course of 15 days, putting in 12 hours per day.

In an interview, Charan said, "He went frame by frame to make sure we were in harmony. The music continues to be popular with listeners almost a year after its release. And with an Oscar victory, the enthusiasm doesn't seem to be waning. The song is no longer our anthem, as Charan stated. The general populace owns it. It has been embraced by people from all various age groups and cultures.