Editorial: Telugu beat on global stage

With ‘Naatu, Naatu’ and ‘The Elephant Whisperers’, Indian cinema savours one of the biggest moments of glory at the Oscars

Hyderabad: It’s a song that transcended the barriers of culture and continents; sent the youth into impromptu dancing on the streets of Japan and Korea and the audience into rapturous joy at screens across the United States, became a regular feature at wedding celebrations in Pakistan, garnered millions of views for the videos of social media influencers and fans recreating its catchy hook steps and even prompted the Korean Ambassador and his staff in Delhi to groove to the pulsating beat. ‘Naatu Naatu‘, a foot-tapping number composed by MM Keeravani for SS Rajamouli’s blockbuster ‘RRR‘, created history by becoming the first song from an Indian film to win an Oscar award in the original song category. When Keeravani and lyricist Chandrabose got on to the stage to receive the Oscar statuettes, it was a goosebumps moment for all Indians as the Telugu song reverberated at the Dolby theatre in Los Angeles. The electrifying track, which became an international rage with 124 million views on YouTube and counting, had the momentum going for it after bagging the Golden Globe award for the best song in January. Its success proves that music brings various cultures together and this should spur many wannabe musicians across India to dream big. ‘Naatu Naatu’ was widely considered the frontrunner in this year’s field of Oscar nominees, which included Lady Gaga’s ‘Hold My Hand’ (from Top Gun: Maverick), Rihanna’s ‘Lift Me Up’ from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), Sofia Carson’s ‘Applause’ (from Tell It Like a Woman) and Son Lux, David Byrne and Mitski’s ‘This is a Life’ (from Everything Everywhere All At Once).

With an unprecedented three Oscar nominations in the same year — ‘All That Breathes’, ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ and ‘RRR’ — Indian cinema has grabbed wider global attention. And, on the day of reckoning, it savoured one of the biggest moments of glory when ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ won the prize for the best documentary short film along with ‘Naatu Naatu’ for the best original song. Kartiki Gonsalves-directed ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ is a heart-warming tale about a couple in South India belonging to an indigenous tribe who look after orphaned baby elephants named Raghu and Ammu, forging a family like no other. In contrast, RRR, which stands for ‘Rise, Roar, Revolt’, is a historical fiction mounted on an epic scale and packs action, adventure, music and dance as it follows the rollicking story of two revolutionaries — Alluri Seetharamaraju and Komaram Bheem — who fight the British in the 1920s. The hit song was filmed in Kyiv in front of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s official residence in 2021. The team shot the song over 15 days with 150 dancers and a crew of 200 people. After such recognition on the global stage, a big challenge now beckons India’s creative minds to translate this into more consistent global success in future.