ISLAMABAD/ LOS ANGELES: Indian song ‘Naatu Naatu’, a viral sensation with millions of views on YouTube and other social media platforms, is all set to clinch an Oscars award for being the “best original song.
The track from Telugu blockbuster Rise Roar Revolt (RRR), Naatu Naatu will be the first Indian film song nominated for the prestigious Oscar.
Its singers were also slated to perform at the Academy Awards, scheduled for Monday.
The song, which became a global sensation after the film was released in US last year, inspired endless Instagram reels and dance trends on social media.
Naatu Naatu, Composed by MM Keeravani with lyrics penned by Chandrabose, already made history in January when it clinched the Golden Globe for best original song, defeating contenders such as Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and Lady Gaga. The same month, the hit song also won the Critics Choice award for the best original song.
Composers hope to clinch prestigious award
Its composers were now hoping to repeat their success at the prestigious Oscars. Film director SS Rajamouli told Vanity Fair that it was not just because of the music or the dance, the entire story of RRR could be summarised within these 10 minutes of Naatu Naatu.
A historical fantasy featuring superstars Ram Charan and Jr NTR in lead roles, RRR tells the fictional story of two India revolutionaries who fight against British rule in India.
Rajamouli said he envisioned Naatu Naatu as a “fight scene” in which two freedom fighters bring a British officer to his knees through dance. He said the song was a story within the film’s larger story.
In 2020, when the RRR was still under production, Rajamouli told Keeravani that he needed a song to showcase his heroes’ dancing talent.
Keeravani then reached out to favourite lyricist Chandrabose and told him to write whatever he liked, but the story happened in the 1920s and use words appropriate to the time.
With no melody or tune to work with, Chandrabose initially came up with the hook line of “Naatu Naatu” which means “Dance, Dance” in Telugu.
Chandrabose told BBC Telugu that he wrote an up-tempo song with a fast beat, which he knew Keeravani favoured. The beat was commonly used in folk songs of the two Telugu-speaking states of India, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Drawing inspiration from his childhood in Telangana, he included numerous folksy references, such as eating chili with jowar roti (red sorghum bread) in the song.
Chandrabose said that most of the song was completed in two days, but it took 19 months for the remaining portion to complete.
Rajamouli and Keeravani give much of Naatu Naatu’s success credit to the song’s choreographer, Prem Rakshit, who composed about 95 dance steps for the track.
