Naatu Naatu has made history by becoming the first film song from India to win at an Oscar.
The Telugu-language song from the blockbuster film RRR, won Best Original Song at the 95th Academy Awards, overcoming the likes of Lady Gaga and Rihanna.
The song’s catchy tempo and choreography has held audiences captive all the world over with reels and Tiktok videos trying to replicate the dance steps.
A historical fantasy, RRR features superstars Ram Charan and Jr NTR in lead roles. It tells a fictional tale of two revolutionaries who fight against British rule in India.
Naatu Naatu is conceived as a kind of dance battle which a total 150 dancers were involved in. Shot in Ukraine over 15 days at the presidential palace, the actors and dancers battled it out until there was a last man standing.
Historic Naatu Naatu
The song already made history earlier in January when it won the Golden Globe for best original song, defeating contenders like Rihanna, Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga. That same month, the song also won the Critics Choice award for the best song.
“It’s not just because of the music or the dance – the entire story of RRR can be summarised within these 10 minutes of Naatu Naatu,” the film’s director, SS Rajamouli, told Vanity Fair.
Another First
India also a won second Oscar for Best Documentary Short Film for The Elephant Whisperers.
The documentary tells the story of a couple who care for an injured baby elephant after it gets separated from its herd. This is the first Indian production to win in this category.
Shot in the picturesque Nilgiri mountains in southern India, The Elephant Whisperers explores the warm bond that develops between the human and animal as they begin to coexist.
