RRR

In a field full of heavy hitters, the film's soundtrack to a dance battle won best original song at Sunday's Academy Awards, becoming the first-ever song ...

Unlike its fellow nominees for best original song, "Naatu Naatu" was central to the film from which it came; the song pops up an hour into RRR, soundtracking a fierce dance battle between the film's main characters and a group of stuffy British colonizers. Keeravani and Chandrabose received the Oscar statuettes, but the success of "Naatu Naatu" had many authors, from the stars who danced to it in RRR (N.T. and Ram Charan) to the vocalists who performed it (Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava) to the choreographer who helped make its video a viral sensation (Prem Rakshith).

The hit song from S.S. Rajamouli's Tollywood blockbuster "RRR" won an Oscar for composer M.M. Keeravani.

That could continue to be the case (the director is working on a musical adaptation of the Indian national epic the Mahabharata and is open to making an “RRR” sequel). If you don’t reach that expectation, you’re going to have a flat film. When I have a basic storytelling and the people who are going to act in the film, I also know that the audiences will expect songs. If you go beyond that expectation, then you’re going to have a blockbuster. If you reach that expectation, you will have a successful film. The film is playing on over a thousand screens in North America, and watching it with a packed audience familiar with Telugu-language cinema is likely to yield one of the noisiest and most raucous theatrical experiences imaginable. I would like to make my characters real but the action over the top. Speaking to IndieWire, Rajamouli [recalled](https://www.indiewire.com/2022/12/rrr-ss-rajamouli-mm-keeravani-interview-1234789145/) the way that his relationship with his longtime composer made it easy to discuss the narrative context in which the song takes place to deliver a more impactful musical number. “I always like to push the boundaries,” Rajamouli said. “He’s a great dancer, but he’s in a completely unfamiliar world. Rama Rao Jr, and excitement around the song only grew as the film slowly built a following out of streaming audiences from around the globe. The energetic musical number became a viral hit thanks to the electric duet performance from Ram Charan and N.T.

The infectious number from action blockbuster 'RRR' made it the first Indian film to be nominated in any category outside international film.

rerelease](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-09-07/rrr-s-s-rajamouli-oscars-beyond-fest). Jr NTR, and Charan](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2023-01-16/rrr-stars-ram-charan-ntr-jr), whose charismatic lead turns in the 1920s-set anticolonialist epic are highlighted in the breathless number that had audiences dancing in the aisles throughout the film’s international theatrical runs and [wildly popular U.S. Keeravani](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/awards/story/2022-11-17/rrr-joe-jonas-mitski-david-byrne-original-songs) and lyrics by Chandrabose, the infectious Telugu-language dance number from director [S.S. Rajamouli](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-11-18/rrr-ss-rajamouli-oscars)’s crossover action hit is the first song from an Indian film to be nominated, and win, in its category. production “Slumdog Millionaire.” But the vast majority of winners spanning the category’s nearly 90 years in existence have been English-language songs from Hollywood films. ‘RRR’ has to win, pride of every Indian, and must put me on the top of the world.” The hit song became a popular breakout number as “RRR” mania swept the globe last year, translated as “Naacho Naacho” in Hindi, “Naattu Koothu” in Tamil, “Halli Naatu” in Kannada and “Karinthol” in Malayalam. I grew up listening to the Carpenters, and now here I am with the Oscars,” Keeravani said in his acceptance speech, before breaking into song: “There was only one wish on my mind ... [Jai Ho](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-oscaroriginalsong23-2009feb23-story.html)” won the original song Oscar for Danny Boyle’s U.K. Filmed over two weeks at Ukraine’s presidential palace months before the Russian invasion, “Naatu Naatu” unfolds as freedom-fighting besties Komaram Bheem (Jr NTR) and Alluri Sitarama Raju (Charan) unite in a fast-paced dance-off against bullying British rivals. [RRR](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-01-24/rrr-s-s-rajamouli-oscars-nominations-2023),” won the Oscar for original song, making history in the process. An elated Ram Charan, who starred in the film, couldn’t stop grinning in the moments following Keeravani and Chandrabose’s Oscar win for “Naatu Naatu.” Paired with watching the song’s high-energy performance onstage tonight, it’s all felt “like an out-of-body experience,” Charan said as the “RRR” crew spilled into the lobby, already planning their post-Oscars partying.

'Naatu Naatu' from 'RRR' overcame superstar competition to become the first Tollywood Oscar winner. The composer celebrated by citing the Carpenters.

And the coda, the end part of the song, consists of so much stamina, you cannot call it merely a song — it is an action sequence.” And in ‘Naatu Naatu,’ this beat took another dimension and another level of BPM (beats per minute) which is very rarely heard in the West. At the 2019 Oscars, “Jai Ho,” from the film “Slumdog Millionaire,” prevailed, with composer A.R. “The beat is 6/8 — that’s not very frequently heard from the West, but more frequently heard from India and sometimes from Africa and countries like that,” said the composer. Keeravani](https://variety.com/t/m-m-keeravani/), who co-wrote all the songs for the film as well as its score, and lyricist Chandrabose. Their triumph followed a highly energized song-and-dance performance of “Naatu Naatu” that was, by acclamation, one of the highlights of this year’s telecast.

The viral hit song "Naatu Naatu," from the Telugu-language blockbuster RRR, had some stiff competition in the way of giving Indian cinema its first-ever ...

The song's win is fitting of it in the context of the movie given that it comes during a scene where the heroes put a group of self-important westerners to shame. After Ram gives Bheem a makeover complete with a beard trim and a new suit, they attend a fancy party hosted by a bunch of white colonizers. [was nominated](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-64382906), it made RRR the first Indian movie to be recognized by the Academy in a category outside international feature. It was nominated opposite two of the biggest stars in music—Rihanna's song from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, "Lift Me Up," and Lady Gaga's Top Gun: Maverick song "Hold My Hand." Keeravani told GQ that he was thrilled about the high level of competition in the Best Original Song category. [RRR](https://www.gq.com/story/what-is-rrr-movie-on-netflix), had some stiff competition in the way of giving Indian cinema its first-ever Oscar.

RRR's “Naatu Naatu” songwriter M. M. Keeravani celebrated his Oscar win for Best Original song, well in song. “I grew up listening to The Carpenters and now ...

Keeravani](https://deadline.com/tag/m-m-keeravani/) celebrated his Oscar win Sunday for Best Original Song, well, in song. “Naatu Naatu” is the first song ever from an Indian movie to win in the category. However, the duo tonight are the second and third Indian songwriters to win in the category: Indian songwriter A.R.

There was a moment of silence. And, the Oscar backbenchers erupted in joy as 'Naatu Naatu' won the Academy Award. The team supporting RRR went “wild" after ...