LOS ANGELES (AP) — MM Keeravani has once again shone the spotlight on India after a historic Oscar win.
Keeravani won Best Original Song for his upbeat and energetic anthem “Naatu Naatu” from the movie “RRR.” The music was written by Keeravani and the lyrics by Chandrabose.
“This is just the beginning of everything,” Keeravani said backstage. “For the world, especially for the western world, people are already more aware of India and Asian music. It’s been long overdue. I’m very happy to open doors and have the world embrace my culture”.
“Naatu Naatu” is the first song from an Indian film to be nominated and win in the Best Original Song category.
Keeravani delighted Oscar audiences by saying he grew up listening to The Carpenters, then started singing the band’s song “Top of the World” with altered lyrics that included the lines “RRR must win/Pride of every Indian”.
“Naatu Naatu” appears in one of the most memorable sequences of the Telegu-language action movie “RRR” with its catchy melody and dance performed by actors Ram Charan and NT Rama Rao Jr.
The song went viral outside of the movie. She has amassed more than 122 million views on YouTube and inspired a TikTok challenge in which users attempt to recreate her acrobatic dance. South Korean Ambassador to India Chang Jae-bok’s performance has gone viral.
Chandrabose said he can’t wait to show his statuette to his wife and children. He talked about the challenges of writing a song in a language that has 56 letters.
“In our language, we have a lot of words, expressions, a lot of feelings,” he commented. “A great language and very literary. A very musical language. If you write it all down, it will sound like music… That people like you love the song means that kind of music and sound makes it all possible.”
In a recent interview, Keeravani said he felt compelled to use the Oscars platform to mention other Indian artists.
“It’s important so that more and more talented music and artists from my country can have the opportunity to receive this kind of recognition, so that the world embraces Indian music more than ever,” he said. he declares.
The best category of original songs was full of stars. Rihanna was in the running for “Lift Me Up,” a song from the movie “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”) in which she collaborated with Tems, director Ryan Coogler and composer Ludwig Goransoon; Lady Gaga for “Hold My Hand” from the tape “Top Gun: Maverick” she made with BloodPop; Diane Warren’s “Tell It Like a Woman” for the film “Applause” and “This Is A Life” from “Everything Everywhere All at Once” were also nominated. This latest track was created by Mitski, David Byrne and Ryan Lott, who along with his band Son Lux were also nominated for Best Original Score. All songs were performed live during the ceremony.