How 'RRR' Made History at the Oscars (and Defeated Rihanna) with ...

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 Oscar. 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."  But rather than be intimidated, just before the ceremony composer M.M. Keeravani told GQ that he was thrilled about the high level of competition in the Best Original Song category.

"It feels so great to compete with stars like Lady Gaga and Rihanna and many others, because when there is strong opposition, then the taste of victory is greater than the taste of victory against a nobody," he said in a voice memo.

And now "Naatu Naatu," written by Keeravani with lyrics by Chandrabose, has that victory. When the song was nominated, it made RRR the first Indian movie to be recognized by the Academy in a category outside international feature. (An Indian composer has been victorious before: A. R. Rahman for Slumdog Millionaire, but that was a British film.)

So how did "Naatu Naatu"—other than being a certified, grade-A bop—beat out some of the world's biggest pop stars? 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. RRR follows the journey of Ram a.k.a. Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan) and Bheem a.k.a. Komaram Bheem (N.T. Rama Rao Jr.)—both versions of real-life figures—who enter into an intense bro-mance and eventually team up to fight colonization, though not without some personal drama along the way. When they meet, they are unaware of the other's intentions: Ram is trying to take down the system from within while Bheem is a scruffy revolutionary trying to retrieve a kidnapped child while evading British forces.

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. The nastiest of all these dudes, Jake (Eduard Buhac), trips Bheem while Bheem is dancing with his crush Jennifer (Olivia Morris). Then, Jake tries to challenge Bheem's knowledge of dance, dorkily demonstrating tango and flamenco steps. Seeing Bheem being mocked, Ram jumps in: "Do you know naatu?" he asks. And off we go.

There's a propulsive beat, there are kicks, there's Matrix-level cinematography, and there's some incredible suspender work. Soon the whole crowd gets involved, throwing their legs around in the precise but lightning fast choreography by Prem Rakshith. The number ends with a face off between Ram and Bheem to see who can dance for the longest. (Ram lets Bheem win to impress Jennifer, because that's what good buds do.)

RRR was an international breakthrough for India's Tollywood, which produces films in Telugu and is not the Hindi-based Bollywood, and Rakshith's dance moves seemed primed to be imitated on TikTok, and indeed they were. "I cannot imagine the song going this kind of viral around the globe without the innovative dance steps," Keeravani said.

Keervani explained that the "glue" of the track is a 6/8 beat that has been used in "thousands of Indian songs, particularly in South India." But the process of creating it was not easy. Director S.S. Rajamouli wanted plenty of options for the sequence, so Keeravani provided him with between 20 and 25 tunes. Once one was selected, production on the song took about 60 days. Filming, which took place in Ukraine (before the war), required another 10 to 15 days.

Keeravani told GQ he has been enjoying the awards season experience. He got to shake hands with Steven Spielberg and James Cameron. He has also befriended Babylon composer Justin Hurwitz, an Oscar winner for La La Land. Keeravani, however, was most excited by another credit of Hurwitz's. He’s written for Curb Your Enthusiasm, which is Keeravani's "all time favorite" show.

On the Oscars telecast, "Naatu Naatu" was performed by Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava, who performed the song on the soundtrack. But singers were not the main attraction—that would be the dancers who did a faithful, invigorating recreation of the scene from the movie, only slightly abridged, earning a standing ovation and looks of joy from the audience members. (It was the second time the dancers had been featured: They also showed up to push Jimmy Kimmel offstage during his opening monologue as he joked that they will come and remove winners whose speeches will go on too long.) 

At screenings of RRR, fans have been known to get up and dance along to "Naatu Naatu." Alas, that didn't happen at the Oscars, nor was Keeravani necessarily expecting it to. ("It is going to be a very formal event as per my knowledge," he said.) But if there wasn't dancing he was at least hoping that the audience would clap along.

"Even if they clap to my song 'Naatu Naatu' while they are performing, then I feel like achieving an award."