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A typical ‘kuthu’ dance-and-song number, peppy and spicy, from an Indian film has won global recognition for the first time. The wildly popular song Naatu Naatu from the superhit Telugu film RRR made history at the 80th Golden Globes as it became the first Indian song to win Best Original Song. From the time of the audio release of Naatu Naatu it spread like wildfire all over India, with hordes of fans keeping step with the catchy number as S S Rajamouli’s film RRR was screened in 2022 in cinema houses everywhere. The quintessence of the film RRR has now shot to international fame, beating world-famous singers and songwriters such as Taylor Swift, Rihana and Lady Gaga for the coveted Golden Globe best song. How did it happen? Sounds like a miracle.
In the womb for 19 months
Rajamouli’s Bahubali-2, which was released way back in April 2017, not only opened in India but also in several foreign countries where Indian cinema was quite new. The film did very well abroad too and opened up major new avenues in marketing for Indian movies.
The newfound global glory enthused and energised director Rajamouli like never before. So, he set about crafting his subsequent venture RRR aiming at greater exposure and targeting greater glory. Determined that RRR must have everything going for it, Rajamouli toiled on making the film one of the most well-produced, from pre-production to post-production. A desire for an encore at the international level was a major driver.
Rajamouli put in one-and-a-half years of dedication and perseverance towards finding the right fit. He created the background situation for the song in January 2020 and took pains to select the most appropriate and appealing tune out of over 200 composed by musician M M Keeravani
As for the now globally famous song Naatu Naatu, Rajamouli put in one-and-a-half years of dedication and perseverance towards finding the right fit. He created the background situation for the song in January 2020 and took pains to select the most appropriate and appealing tune out of over 20 composed by musician M M Keeravani. Lyricist Chandrabose took just half-a-day to compose the lyrics to suit the tempo and tenor of the musical score. Yet the team had detailed discussions on the aesthetic dimensions of each and every line of the song. The lyricist then came up with the finished product and repeatedly improved upon the original. So slow and steady was the process that it took 19 months to record the song.
Set in the background of India’s freedom struggle, RRR is a fictional account of the lives of real-life revolutionaries Alluri Seetharamaraju of Andhra Pradesh and Komaram Bheem of Telengana. It struck a chord with not only the Telugu audience but was appreciated pan-India, despite initially being slammed for fictionalising the real heroes of the Indian freedom struggle.
Also Read: Why RRR is Hindu, not Hindutva
Naatu Naatu’s foot-tapping music and the boisterous dance performances of the two heroes is as irresistible as hot and spicy Telugu cuisine. No wonder it won a Golden Globe.
The teamwork of the director, cinematographer, the music composer, the lead actors, the choreographer Prem Rakshith and the playback singers Kaala Bhairava and Rahul Sipligunj has made the song Naatu Naatu a roaring success.
Prem Rakshith deserves particular praise for deftly blending western and folk dance moves in a memorable manner and moulding perfectly with the rhythm.
A major hit in Telugu cinema, the Naatu Naatu song has been dubbed into Tamil, Hindi, Kannada and Malayalam. Though RRR initially got mixed feedback, Naatu Naatu became a catalyst for the film’s runaway success, along with the film’s stunts and VFX, luring the audience repeatedly to the theatres. Now the extraordinary work that has gone into the making of this song has been globally recognised.
The teamwork of the director, cinematographer, the music composer, the lead actors, the choreographer Prem Rakshith and the playback singers Kaala Bhairava and Rahul Sipligunj has made the song Naatu Naatu a roaring success
Big reception
Global awards are given to not only art films but also commercial ones. The Golden Globe awards instituted by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for films of both categories are as popular and awaited as the Oscars and the Emmys.
Incidentally, the film RRR had originally figured on the nominations for best non-English film at the Golden Globes, but Argentina’s film 1985 won the award. Yet RRR pins hopes on being nominated for the Oscars.
Also Read: Did Tamil Rajamouli movie RRR look like a gay flick to you?
As lyricist Chandrabose said, apart from name, fame and money, it is global recognition that makes an artist eternally happy. He said that he had been praised by superstars such as Chiranjeevi.
Indeed the global honour for the Telugu song has inspired upcoming filmmakers across the nation to dream as big as possible.
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