JNS: “Naatu Naatu song” from SS Rajamouli’s film RRR became the first song from an Indian film to win an Oscar for best original song at the 95th annual Academy Awards presentation. This achievement marked a significant milestone in the history of the film industry in India.
In addition to its other Oscar victories, “The Elephant Whisperers” took home the award for Best Documentary Short Film.
M. Keeravani, who composed the song “Naatu Naatu,” along with Chandrabose, who wrote the lyrics, received the award. Playback singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava sang the song and got a standing ovation for their performance at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, in the United States of America.
Deepika Padukone introduced the live performance during the occasion. RRR is the first Indian film in over two decades to be nominated for the Academy Awards while ‘Naatu Naatu’ was the first Indian song to be nominated at the Oscars.
The film tells a story set in the 1920s that was inspired by the lives of liberation fighters Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitarama Raju.
Prem Rakshith choreographed the song, which competed against Applause from the film Tell It Like A Woman, Hold My Hand from Top Gun: Maverick, Lift Me Up from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and This Is Life from Everything, Everywhere All At Once.
“The Elephant Whisperers,” another Indian entry in the Academy Awards, also won an Oscar in the Best Documentary Short Film category.
The bond between Raghu, an orphaned baby elephant, and his carers is explored in this 41-minute short documentary film by filmmaker Kartiki Gonsalves and producer Guneet Monga.
The other four short films that were considered for the award in the category of Best Short Film were Haulout, The Martha Mitchell Effect, Stranger at the Gate, and How Do You Measure a Year? After The House That Ananda Built-in 1969 and An Encounter With Faces in 1979, The Elephant Whisperers is the third Indian film to be nominated for an Academy Award in this category. It is also the first Indian film to win an Academy Award in this category.
Notably, in 2008, the song “Jai Ho,” which was written by Gulzar and composed by AR Rahman for the British film Slumdog Millionaire, became the first song in Hindi to win an Oscar Award for Best Original Score and Best Original Song.
