SPOTLIGHT ON REGIONAL MUSIC

On 12 February history was created when 'Naatu Naatu' a song from the Telugu film RRR became the first song from an Indian motion picture to win an Oscar, bringing the spotlight on to the regional music industry

- Ashish Sinha

THE TEAM BEHIND the global musical sensation ‘Naatu Naatu’, from the Indian film RRR, made history at the Academy Awards on 12 February, by taking home the Oscar for the best original song. It was the first song ever from an Indian movie to win an Oscar. ‘Naatu Naatu’ is a Telugu song composed by M. M. Keeravani. There is also a Ukraine-connection to the song. According to reports in the Telugu media, the ‘Naatu-Naatu’ song took 15 days to shoot and the palace in the backdrop is the Mariinsky Palace, the official residence of the President of Ukraine in Kyiv.

But the world was waking up to the music of the film RRR even as the song was turning into a mega hit across languages at home. In January, at the Golden Globe Awards 2023, RRR made history by becoming the first Indian film to win an award for the Best Original Song for ‘Naatu Naatu’. The award was received by M. M. Keeravani, the composer the world wants now.

For Bollywood, the moment of glory at the Oscars had come in 2008, with the British film Slumdog Millionaire and the ‘Jai Ho’ song composed by A.R. Rahman and penned by the legendary lyricist Gulzar. The euphoria over the huge success of ‘Naatu Naatu’ on the international platform is best summarised in Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan’s Tweet. The ‘King Khan’ Tweeted: “...thank u for showing us all, the way to do it...”

Business of Recorded Music