Oscars 2023: SS Rajamouli's RRR continued its winning streak as it bagged the coveted golden statuette for the song 'Naatu Naatu' featuring Ram Charan and Jr NTR. M.M. Keeravani's energetic anthem won in the category of Best Original Song and left behind -- 'This Is A Life' from 'Everything, Everywhere, All at Once,' 'Applause' from 'Tell It Like a Woman,' and 'Raise Me Up' from 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.'
Keeravani and lyricist Chandrabose accepted the award on behalf of the team. Singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava and composer along with director SS Rajamouli and lead actors Jr NTR and Ram Charan are all present at the big event.
For the first time, India earned three nominations at the prestigious international stage with the popular song 'Naatu Naatu' from blockbuster 'RRR', and two documentaries 'All That Breathes' and 'The Elephant Whisperers'. Keeravani's song had bagged a nomination for Best Original Song, while the documentaries 'All That Breathes' and 'The Elephant Whisperers' is running for the Best Documentary Feature and Best Documentary Short Film categories, respectively.
Singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava, who lend their voice to the original track, performed the fast-paced song for the Oscars audience with the music composer MM Keeravani and American dancer Lauren Gottlieb. Naatu Naatu celebrates the inclusive spirit of dance and bonhomie and features Charan and Jr NTR matching steps to its catchy rhythm. The title of the track translates to bucolic in Telugu. It demonstrates the spirit of fun in country music in its over 4.35 minutes of runtime.
Meanwhile, the RRR team reached the Dolby Theatre in full style on Monday. Director SS Rajamouli, actors Jr NTR and Ram Charan, and singer MM Keeravani graced the Oscars 2023 carpet before attending the awards ceremony. Ram Charan and Jr NTR twinned in black bandhgala ethnic velvet outfits. Rajamouli opted for a kurta that he paired with dhoti. Take a look at the trio's Oscar 2023 red carpet look
Jr NTR'S black velvet custom-made bandhgala with gold metallic embroidery by Indian fashion designer Gaurav Gupta. The delicate gold embroidery on the black velvet traditional bandhgala drew parallels to the national animal of India - The Tiger. It also is an ode to the iconic interval scene from RRR. And so befitting is this symbolic attire for The Young Tiger, a moniker popularly used for the actor.
Watch the 'Naatu Naatu' song here: