SS Rajamouli’s RRR has achieved a groundbreaking feat by becoming the first-ever Indian feature film to win an Oscar. The film’s soundtrack, ‘Naatu Naatu’ by MM Keeravani, was conferred with the highly coveted Best Original Song Award at the ongoing 95th Academy Awards held in Los Angeles, United States.
The song faced fierce competition from some of the best in the business, including ‘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 Life’ from Everything Everywhere All At Once.
The prestigious award was collected by Keeravani and Chandrabose, the lyricist, who jointly composed the track. Keeravani went on to deliver a memorable acceptance speech in the form of a re-written hit Carpenters song, ‘Top of the World’.
The win has put ‘Naatu Naatu’ in the record books as the first-ever song from an Indian movie to win an Oscar, thereby establishing its place in history. The song’s singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava gave a mesmerizing performance that won them a standing ovation at the Oscars ceremony earlier today.
This isn’t the first time ‘Naatu Naatu’ has bagged a prestigious accolade, having recently won the Golden Globe for the best song as well.
The film, RRR, takes inspiration from the lives of Indian freedom fighters Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitarama Raju and is set in the 1920s. The movie boasts of an ensemble cast, including Jr NTR, Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, Olivia Morris, Samuthirakani, Alison Doody, and Ray Stevenson, among others.
It is noteworthy that the iconic ‘Jai Ho,’ composed by AR Rahman and penned by Gulzar, from the 2008 British film Slumdog Millionaire, was the first Hindi song to win an Academy Award in the Best Original Score and Original Song categories.
The feat achieved by ‘Naatu Naatu’ is a testament to the rising popularity and global recognition of Indian cinema and its talented musicians.
Listen to the track here.
