Indians have been celebrating their historic double win at the Oscars as the moment their country found the global recognition it has craved for years.
The rollicking song Naatu Naatu from the film RRR won best original song – it was also performed live at the ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday night – and the Elephant Whisperers won best documentary short film.
The euphoria across social media and in public stems from the fact that India has traditionally not fared well at the Academy Awards, despite numerous nominations over the years. No Indian film has ever won a best film Oscar. Naatu Naatu is the first song from an Indian film to win an Oscar.
“It’s just the beginning of everything,” composer M.M. Keeravani said backstage at the ceremony. “For the world, particularly the western world, folks are more on India and Asian music. It’s just long due. I feel very happy to open doors and the world to embrace my culture.”
Indian film and music lovers expressed their jubilation on social media, while political leaders from across the spectrum tweeted their pride.
Prime minister Narendra Modi tweeted: “Exceptional! The popularity of ‘Naatu Naatu’ is global. It will be a song that will be remembered for years to come … India is elated and proud.”
Opposition Congress Party president Mallikarjan Kharge tweeted: “We join millions of Indians in rejoicing at the great news … Thank you for bringing so much joy and happiness to India’.
Exceptional!
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 13, 2023
The popularity of ‘Naatu Naatu’ is global. It will be a song that will be remembered for years to come. Congratulations to @mmkeeravaani, @boselyricist and the entire team for this prestigious honour.
India is elated and proud. #Oscars https://t.co/cANG5wHROt
The Elephant Whisperers is a tender portrait of a poor couple in Tamil Nadu and their strong bond with a baby elephant called Raghu. Made by two women, Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga, the documentary shows the mutual understanding between the couple and the orphaned calf in their care.
In an Instagram post, Gonsalves said: “Tonight is historic as this is the first ever Oscar for an Indian production.”
The performance of Naatu Naatu is only the second time an Indian song has been performed at the Oscars. The first time was the song Jai Ho from the film Slumdog Millionaire in 2009.
Naatu Naatu is the centrepiece of RRR, the hit epic action drama directed by south Indian director SS Rajamouli.
RRR, short for Rise, Roar, Revolt, is a story of two Indian men who forge a friendship in the 1920s to fight British rule, in particular, a ‘villainous’ governor and his equally nasty wife.
The film instantly became a massive hit after its release last year. Made on a budget of US$72m, it is the most expensive Indian film to date.
The foot tapping Naatu Naatu was filmed at Mariinskyi Palace, the official residence of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenksiy in Kyiv a few months before the Russian invasion.
The song’s awards momentum has been building up for months. In January, it won the best original song award at the Golden Globes.
Film critic L Ravichander told India’s NDTV news channel that the song’s success was propelled by the film-makers’ ‘faith in themselves’.
“They were so confident that they went to Hollywood as equals and had the self-belief to enter into the lobbying that has to be done in Hollywood,” he said.
Indians noted that RRR was not, as many people abroad might assume, a Bollywood film but a south Indian film in the Telugu language. Film critics said they hoped that regional Indian cinema would start being recognised instead of the film industry being synonymous with Bollywood.
Naatu Naatu has been viewed 125m times on YouTube and Indians are hoping its success may give them a ‘Gangnam Style’ moment in popular culture.
Film analyst Komal Nahta called the song ‘phenomenal’ and said it richly deserved the Oscar. “After Jai Ho, this is a song that’s transcended international boundaries to become hugely popular,” he said.
