New Delhi: After winning the Golden Globe and the Critics Choice Award, ‘Naatu Naatu’ from filmmaker SS Rajamouli’s ‘RRR’ on Monday (March 13, 2023) bagged the Oscar in the Best Original Song category. Composed by MM Keeravaani and penned by Chandrabose, the Telugu chartbuster has now become the first Indian track to win the Academy Award in the Best Original Song category.
‘Naatu Naatu’ was nominated in the category 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 Oscar-winning ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’.
‘Naatu Naatu’ from ‘RRR’ wins the Oscar for Best Original Song! #Oscars #Oscars95 pic.twitter.com/tLDCh6zwmn
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 13, 2023
However, not many people know that RRR’s “Naatu Naatu” was shot in Ukraine.
The song, which demonstrates the spirit of fun in country music in its over 4.35 minutes of runtime, was shot on the lawns of the Presidential Palace of Kyiv.
It begins when the action epic’s two leads — Ram Charan and NT Rama Rao Jr — flaunt their dance skills after being bullied as the only Indian people invited to a British party in colonial times.
When a young British man aims racist insults at the leads, they decide to educate him using the song “Naatu Naatu.”
ALSO READ | Oscars 2023: Popularity Of ‘Naatu Naatu’ Is ‘Global’, Says PM Modi After RRR Gets Academy Award
The superhit song celebrates the inclusive spirit of dance and bonhomie and features Charan and Jr NTR matching steps to its catchy rhythm.
“Naatu means ethnicity, ethnic,” composer Keeravani told Reuters in a recent interview.
Since the film’s release in 2022, the fast-paced dance number has found fans all over the world. It has also spawned a TikTok challenge and has garnered millions of views on YouTube.
Director Rajamouli had also recently revealed in an interview that choreographer Prem Rakshith came up with over “100 variations” of the hook step for the song.
“RRR” (Rise Roar Revolt) is a pre-independence fictional story and follows two real-life Indian revolutionaries — Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan) and Komaram Bheem (Jr NTR) — in the 1920s.
RRR’s ‘Naatu Naatu’ Is First Song From Indian Film To Bag Oscar
“Naatu Naatu” is now the first song from an Indian film to win an Oscar.
We’re blessed that #RRRMovie is the first feature film to bring INDIA’s first ever #Oscar in the Best Song Category with #NaatuNaatu!
No words can describe this surreal moment.
Dedicating this to all our amazing fans across the world. THANK YOU!!
JAI HIND!pic.twitter.com/9g5izBCUks
— RRR Movie (@RRRMovie) March 13, 2023
In 2008, composer AR Rahman won the Oscar for the Hindi song “Jai Ho”, but that was for the US-British production of “Slumdog Millionaire”, which was set in India.