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South Indian voyage  to the  global ‘Oscars’ stage

The song ‘Naatu Naatu’ probably reminded dance lovers of the Fred Astaire days. This one was kind of a tap dance at a fast pace with much more energy in keeping with the times!…writes Vinod Mirani

This is the time to juxtapose the various regional film industries with those in South India. Especially at a time when South Indian films not only feed Hindi films through remakes or dubbed films, but when even globally acclaimed Hollywood filmmakers are acknowledging their importance.

‘RRR’ has struck a chord with foreign audiences and its song, ‘Naatu Naatu’, with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, which awards the Oscars. Wish there was a category for choreography as well at the Oscars, for, I think, that has created the magic that ‘Naatu Naatu’ has become known for.

We had Richard Attenborough’s ‘Gandhi’ and, later, Danny Boyle’s ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, both of which made it big at the Oscars. We were thrilled about it. But they were not the products of any of the Indian film industries. They merely had India-related stories.

Quite a few other filmmakers tried for nominations at the Oscars

The earlier one was Mehboob Khan’s ‘Mother India’. They probably did not identify with a woman refusing to compromise even while her kids were starving. It was the post-World War II era and there were stories about women known to compromise for as little as a pack of cigarettes!

The film ‘RRR’ and its music, especially ‘Naatu Naatu’ and the way it is choreographed, caught the fancy of people all over the world. The song became a new anthem for dance lovers. Hollywood dance-based musicals with the likes of Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers and Gene Kelly and later films such as ‘Sound Of Music’, ‘Fiddler On The Roof’, ‘Cabaret’, ‘Grease’, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ and ‘Chicago’ are rare now.

The song ‘Naatu Naatu’ probably reminded dance lovers of the Fred Astaire days. This one was kind of a tap dance at a fast pace with much more energy in keeping with the times!

So, if the regional films from the South — in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam — have sustained over the decades and, at many times, their themes are also loved by the audience when remade or dubbed in Hindi, why have the other regional language films not been able to penetrate the audience in other regions, let alone foreign shores?

Take for example, Punjabi films. Earlier, the few Punjabi films that were produced from time to time were made by mostly regular Hindi filmmakers. From the biggest hit of the 1970s, ‘Nanak Naam Jahaj Hai’, to the recent hit, ‘Char Sahibzaade’ (animated) were produced, for instance, by Pannalal Maheshwari (he made Hindi films such as ‘Neel Kamal’ and ‘Kaajal’) and Harry Baweja (‘Dilwale’, ‘Diljalle’, etc), respectively.

Now the scene is totally different. Many producers have made Hindi films with a heavy bent towards the usage of Punjabi dialogue and Punjabi music, but they don’t make films especially for the Punjabi-speaking audience.

Punjabi films are mostly backed by NRI moneybags from Canada and the UK. The dollar-to-rupee exchange rate is the major lure here. Rest of the fringe benefits are the same all over: pictures in local media, friendship with stars and the urge to make a name. There is no dearth of financiers, but there is little Punjab in these films except the language. Presently, there are as many as 40 films ready for release, but there are no buyers.

The Gujarati film industry always belonged, save for a rare few, to the non-Gujarati filmmakers from Mumbai. Even the sole film processing laboratory set up in Gujarat belonged to a Mumbai lab owner who had transferred all his old machinery to set up a lab in Gujarat; laws were devised so that it was mandatory to work with a Gujarat lab!

They picked mostly Kathiawadi folklore from the Saurashtra region for both the stories and the songs of these films. What these films drew was only the lowest strata of the audience. No middle class family ever entered the cinemas screening these films. To top it all, the films enjoyed entertainment tax exemption as a rule and was not merit based.The industry survived for some years.

With the new generation and technical advances, the Gujarati films are in the process of reviving. Films such as ‘Chhello Show’ (The Last Show, India’s official entry for the 95th Academy Awards) and ‘Hellaro’ (The Outburst) won National Awards and with the success of some early releases, it looked like the Gujarati film industry was on the revival path.

India’s Entry to Oscars ‘Last Film Show’ to compete at 2022 Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia!.

Some new investors were roped in. So far so good, but the roping in of a backer has now turned into a racket. The nouveau riche and glamour struck are shown rosy pictures all the way till a film’s release.

Once a film is complete, a five-screen premiere is organised in Mumbai, instead of Ahmedabad, followed by a party. Some Rs 25 lakh goes into these premature celebrations. When the film releases, it fails to cover these costs spent on making the investor feel good.

Now the Gujarati industry is delivering flops on a regular basis.

Coming to Marathi films, they did well in the era of Ashok Saraf, Laxmikant Berde, Mahesh Kothare, Sachin, Nilu Phule and Dada Kondke, who did mostly romantic comedies. Before that, the films were based on feudal themes. As of now, there is no set trend.

A formula love story, ‘Sairat’, went on to become the biggest hit in 2016 (a rare Marahi film to cross Rs 100 crore) and it took six more years for another film, Riteish Deshmukh’s ‘Ved’, to come somewhere close with around Rs 75 crore. The major problem with Marathi films is that the producer has to also distribute the film as there are no regular distributors.

The Bhojpuri film industry has somewhat similar stories as Gujarati and Punjabi films. The backers of these films are mostly prospect hunters.

There came a phase when the Hindi films that Mumbai produced were beyond the comprehension of the audience in other states, especially in Eastern UP, Bihar and Chhattisgarh, which had their own vibant culture.

There was a time when the Hindi filmmakers tried to imitate the Western culture and even took to shooting their films abroad. This phase sort of revived some regional industries, notably Punjabi and Bhojpuri.

Then there are Bengali films. They have their own audience and rarely, if ever, go beyond the state. Yes, there was a time when a lot many Bengali producers and actors were active in Mumbai and often remade Bengali films in Hindi when not making a Hindi-Bengali bilingual. Not to forget, Bengali makers were also the favourites of the givers of National Awards!

The major drawbacks with these regional films is that they have no or limited market outside of their own state. Also, while the budgets for making a film has grown into crores, there is little support from the overseas, satellite and OTT markets.

55 years, 3 nods: Why India’s official entries rarely get an Oscar nomination

The other factor that works against them is that people in these states understand and follow Hindi films as much as their own regional films. As such, they end up competing with Hindi films.

In the South, the exploitation of movie goers is controlled as there is a restriction on admission rates charged. In other regions, they pay as much as they would for Hindi mainstream films.

The main reason is that when one regional film works, the scene gets crowded and production activities mushroom suddenly leading to oversupply much beyond demand.

ALSO READ-Oscar journey of ‘The Elephant Whisperers’

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RRR scripts history at Oscars

The audience loved Rahul and Kaala’s performance as they all stood up from their seats and applauded them…reports Asian Lite News

History has been scripted! Dreams of so many Indians have finally come true as team ‘RRR’ brought glory to the country.
RRR’s power-packed song ‘Naatu Naatu’ took India global as it won the Oscar for ‘Original Song’. ‘Naatu Naatu’ has won the award tumping big names like Rihanna and Lady Gaga. Composer MM 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.

‘Naatu Naatu’ is the first Telugu song to be nominated in the ‘Original Song’ category at the Oscars. Earlier, the singers gave a live performance. It was a goosebump moment for all when Naatu Naatu took over the Oscars stage with American dancers doing full justice to the track.

American actor-dancer Lauren Gottlieb also grooved on the track. Actress Deepika Padukone introduced the song to the audience and called it a ‘banger’. The audience loved Rahul and Kaala’s performance as they all stood up from their seats and applauded them.
Talking about ‘Naatu Naatu’, the song, as mentioned, the lyrical composition by MM Keeravani, high energy rendition by singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava, unique choreography by Prem Rakshith, and lyrics by Chandrabose are all the elements that make this ‘RRR’ mass anthem a perfect dance craze.

The song competed against ‘Applause’ from the film ‘Tell It Like A Woman,’ ‘Hold My Hand’ from the movie ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ ‘Lift me Up’ from ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,’ and ‘This Is Life,’ from ‘Everything, Everywhere All At Once’.

The film is a fictional story based on the lives of two Telugu freedom fighters, Alluri Seetharama Raju and Komaram Bheem. Ram Charan and Jr NTR played lead roles, respectively. The film collected over Rs 1,200 crore worldwide. Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn and Shriya Saran also starred in the film.

Earlier the Indian documentary film ‘Elephant Whisperers’ won the Oscar in the ‘Best Documentary Short Film’ category. Producer Guneet Monga along with director Kartiki Gonsalves took centre stage to accept the honour. (ANI)

Homage to India

It’s Oscar time and 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 red carpet before attending the awards ceremony, where their track ‘Naatu Naatu’ is nominated in the ‘Original Song’ category. Ram Charan and Jr NTR twinned in black bandhgala ethnic velvet outfits. Rajamouli opted for a kurta that he paired with dhoti. The trio, undoubtedly, paid homage to Indian culture.
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.

Ram Charan, Rajamouli, NTR Jr are ‘Oscar ready.

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 NTR Jr.

The outfit was custom made for the global Icon keeping his sentiments in mind. The bandhgala was paired with Brue & Bareskin leather shoes and a Vacheron Constantin watch.
Ram Charan was present on the red carpet with his wife Upasana Kamineni.
He said he was having a fanboy moment on the carpet, and that he was nervous ahead of the awards. “She (Upasana) is six months pregnant as well; I think the baby is already bringing us so much luck… from the Golden Globes to standing here!”

The Oscar-nominated song ‘Naatu Naatu’ from S.S. Rajamouli’s RRR will also be performed at the 95th Academy Awards by singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava in their Oscar debut.
Before entering the Oscars, the song bagged awards on the global stage. In January, ‘Naatu Naatu’ won the Golden Globes in the ‘Best Original Song’ category. Five days later, ‘RRR’ bagged two more awards at the 28th edition of the Critics Choice Awards. One is for the best song and another is for ‘best foreign language film.’ Since then, ‘RRR’ and ‘Naatu Naatu’ are riding high on the global chart. (ANI)

‘Naatu Naatu’ rocks Oscars night

Global musical sensation, ‘Naatu Naatu’ from the S.S. Rajamouli-directorial ‘RRR’ burnt the stage at the 95th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre.

The song took the form of a performance after actress Deepika Padukone made an introduction to the song for those in attendance at the venue.

The actress said, “An irresistibly catchy chorus, electrifying beats and killer dance moves to match with, have made this next song a global sensation. It plays during a pivotal scene in ‘RRR’, a movie about real-life friendship between Indian revolutionaries Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaran Bheem. In addition to being sung in Telugu and illustrating the film’s anti-colonial themes, it’s also a total banger.”

She further mentioned, “It has earned millions of views on YouTube and TikTok, has audiences dancing in movie theatres all around the world and is also the first song ever from an Indian production to be nominated for an Oscar. Do you know ‘Naatu’ because if you don’t you’re about to.”

The song was crooned on stage by Kaala Bhairava as the international dancer grooved to the electrifying beats and the livewire lyrics of the song.

After clinching the honour for the Best Original Song at the Golden Globe Award and at the Critics’ Choice Awards, the song is in the race for Best Song at the 95th Academy Awards as well. The song has been composed by M.M. Keeravani, who is the cousin of Rajamouli.

‘RRR’, which stars NTR Jr., Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt and Shriya Saran is a historical fiction and tells the fictional story of two real-life Indian revolutionaries, Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem and their fight against the British Raj.

The 95th Academy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, are happening at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and are available to stream on Disney+ Hotstar.

ALSO READ-Critics Choice Awards 2023: ‘RRR’ wins Best Foreign Language Film

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All eyes on RRR in Oscars 2023

In 154 films he has done and 42 years he has been working, he has been to the Oscars in the 80s and that too for an appearance, and that also he felt was a huge achievement…reports Asian Lite News

With the Oscar Awards night inching closer, the expectations around ‘RRR’ are on the rise. Actor Ram Charan who is in the US summed up his thoughts on the ‘RRR’ journey to Sam Fragoso of the ‘Talk Easy’ show in Los Angeles.

“RRR is a platform where this journey is going to come. It’s a way of achieving what all the hardworking directors and people in the movie industry in India wanted to see for the last 85 years. The final goal is to be recognised on a world platform.

On the historic Oscar nomination for the ‘Naatu Naatu’ song from ‘RRR’, Ram Charan said, “It is emotional for all of us. It is emotional for my dad who is waiting there. Before taking my flight, he was so sentimental that I was coming here. In 154 films he has done and 42 years he has been working, he has been to the Oscars in the 80s and that too for an appearance, and that also he felt was a huge achievement.

“But today we have been nominated and in the list, and now waiting. He told me the value for it as younger actors, we don’t know the value of this so early in our career but he knows the value and I truly believe, that we are praying for this for everyone in India too, not just actors but it’s like India winning an Olympic gold medal, I do not run but I know the feeling when my Indian sportsperson holds that medal, The Oscars is like an Olympic Gold medal equivalent for us.”

Ram opened up to Fragoso on various aspects of his life. From the Ayyappa deeksha which he has been observing religiously for the last 15 years to his upbringing in a filmi household under the watchful eyes of his father and Tollywood superstar Chiranjeevi.

“He thought it was very glamorous, tempting as an industry and he wanted us to be as normal as possible, he did not want us to know that we had a superstar father and to take it for granted that it would all come easy for us. Whatever he did was right as till today, I am able to pay my EMIs and keep it going and I am doing well because of his upbringing and the way he was.”

ALSO READ-Critics Choice Awards 2023: ‘RRR’ wins Best Foreign Language Film

READ MORE-RRR team now sets eyes on Oscar

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Bollywood Films

Critics Choice Awards 2023: ‘RRR’ wins Best Foreign Language Film

‘RRR’ was contending against films such as ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’, ‘Argentina 1985’, ‘Bardo’, ‘False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths’, ‘Close’ and ‘Decision to Leave’….reports Asian Lite News

After bringing the Golden Globe, filmmaker Rajamouli’s magnum opus film ‘RRR’ has won the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Foreign Language Film

A tweet from the handle of the 28th Critics’ Choice Awards read: “Congratulations to the cast and crew of @RRRMovie – winners of the #criticschoice Award for Best Foreign Language Film. #CriticsChoiceAwards”

‘RRR’ was contending against films such as ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’, ‘Argentina 1985’, ‘Bardo’, ‘False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths’, ‘Close’ and ‘Decision to Leave’.

‘RRR’ stars NTR Jr., Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, Shriya Saran, Samuthirakani, Ray Stevenson, Alison Doody and Olivia Morris. It centres around two real-life Indian revolutionaries, Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem, their fictional friendship and their fight against the British Raj.

Set in the 1920s, the plot explores the undocumented period in their lives when both the revolutionaries chose to go into obscurity before they began the fight for their country.

RRR.

‘Nattu Nattu’ : The best and original

After its big win at the recently concluded Golden Awards, S.S. Rajamouli’s ‘RRR’ is creating waves at the ongoing 28th edition of the Critics Choice Awards in Los Angeles. The film was awarded with the trophy for the Best Original Song in a film for its ‘Naatu Naatu’ track, which has become an international phenomenon.

The song edged out tracks like Taylor Swift’s ‘Carolina’ from’ Where the Crawdads Sing’, ‘Ciao Papa’ from – Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Pinocchio’ Lady Gaga and Bloodpop’s ‘Hold My Hand’ from ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, Rihanna’s ‘Lift Me Up’ from ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ and ‘New Body Rhumba’ from White Noise

‘RRR’ stars NTR Jr., Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt and Shriya Saran and tells the fictional story of two real-life Indian revolutionaries, Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem and their fight against the British Raj.

Set in the 1920s, the plot explores the undocumented period in their lives when both the revolutionaries chose to go into obscurity before they began the fight for their country.

SS Rajamouli had a lot to say about the reception of his blockbuster hit ‘RRR’ in the West.The 49-year-old director, who was recently given the honour of ‘Best Director’ by the New York Film Critics Circle for the Ram Charan-starrer, took to the stage to give a heartfelt acceptance speech.

“I don’t know if you guys know how we watch a film on the first day, back in India. You can’t see the visuals, listen to the dialogues and it is an incredible celebration. I saw the same kind of reception in the west for RRR, be it LA, New York or Chicago. They were reacting the same way as Indians,” he said.

Rajamouli also noted that one of the ‘biggest achievements’ of ‘RRR’ was ‘bringing back the joy of watching a film in theatres’.

“I still have the same excitement as a kid when I watch a movie in a hall and the lights being switched off in an auditorium. Whenever I make a film, I imagine myself sitting in that hall, make that sequence for the big screen” he said.

The Jr NTR-starrer film had also progressed further in the race to the Oscars earlier.

It was announced in December that the infectiously catchy song ‘Naatu Naatu’ from the blockbuster Telugu film has been shortlisted for the 2023 Oscar Awards in the ‘Best Original Song’ category.

‘RRR’ had also secured two spots in the nomination list for the Golden Globe Awards 2023, nominated in two categories, ‘Best Picture – Non-English Language’ and ‘Original Song – Motion Picture’.

RRR is a fictional story based on the lives of two Telugu freedom fighters Alluri Seetharama Raju and Komaram Bheem.

Ram Charan and Jr NTR played lead roles, respectively.

The film collected over 1200 crore INR worldwide. (ANI)

ALSO READ: ‘Selfiee’ poster sparks remake debate yet again


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RRR team now sets eyes on Oscar

The Golden Globe award for Best Original Song has heightened the expectations of not just S.S. Rajamouli and his team but the entire Tollywood….reports Asian Lite News

After receiving international acclaim and bagging a Golden Globe award, RRR team now has its eyes set on the biggest of them all – Oscar.

The Golden Globe award for Best Original Song has heightened the expectations of not just S.S. Rajamouli and his team but the entire Tollywood.

RRR for Oscars has been one of the top trends for the last couple of days and the fans of Junior NTR and Ram Charan are rooting for the epic action drama to bag the Academy awards.

Rajamouli with both the heroes of the movie and other members of the team were present in Dolby Theatre, Hollywood when music director M.M. Keeravani received the Golden Globe award for Naatu Naatu song.

The foot-tapping hit has become the latest national craze and the spotlight is on what made this song so different that it beat the likes of Rihanna and Lady Gaga.

The song has already been shortlisted for the 95th Academy Awards. It will be known on January 24 if the song makes it to the nomination list.

Adding to the excitement of his fans, Ram Charan has said that if RRR goes on to win the Oscar he will dance his heart out with Junior NTR.

The popular actor said in an interview that they would again dance for 17 times if the movie bags the Oscar. He was referring to the number of takes shot during the shoot for the song.

The combination of music director M. M. Keeravani’s melodious music, lyrics of Chandrabose, voice of Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava and choreography by Prem Rakshith Agave the song which proved an icing on the cake for the blockbuster.

Prem Rakshith’s team is said to have recorded as many as 80 variations of hook steps. It finalised the best variation which went on to prove a huge hit.

It will be interesting to see if Ram Charan and Junior NTR recreate the magic on stage if the movie bags the biggest award.

The 95th Academy Awards ceremony will be held on March 12.

ALSO READ: ‘We still don’t have a ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Alice in Wonderland’’

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Praise pours in for Golden Globes win of ‘RRR’ track ‘Naatu Naatu’

‘Pushpa’ star, Allu Arjun also sent his best wishes to the ‘RRR’ team through Instagram…reports Asian Lite News

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal joined the chorus of compliments pouring in for the Golden Globes win of the ‘RRR’ track ‘Naatu Naatu’.

He took to Twitter and wrote: “Congratulations to the whole cast and crew of RRR on this fantastic achievement. There can not be a prouder moment for our country than our art getting recognition in the highest global arenas.”

Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar also tweeted: “The whole country is dancing to #NaatuNaatu today. Congratulations to @mmkeeravaani @ssrajamouli @tarak9999 @AlwaysRamCharan and the entire team of ‘RRR’. Proud moment #GoldenGlobes2023”.

Rashmika Mandana, who became famous as ‘Srivalli’ in ‘Pushpa: The Rise’ shared the clip of the ‘Naatu Naatu’ being feted at the Golden Globes and wrote: “You did it #RRR so so proud and happy for you.” Samantha Ruth Prabhu exclaimed: “Proudest moment ever!” Added Venkatesh Daggubati: “Absolutely phenomenal win.”

‘Pushpa’ star, Allu Arjun also sent his best wishes to the ‘RRR’ team through Instagram. Sharing a picture from the awards evening, he wrote: “Prideful moment for all of us. Congratulations to the entire team of ‘RRR’.”

Reacting to the win, ‘Arjun Reddy’ star Vijay Deverakonda was the first to give a “shoutout to Prem Rakshit master for the incredible choreography!”

He continued: “Sitting back and taking a moment to celebrate and absorb what @ssrajamouli sir, @tarak9999 anna @AlwaysRamCharan anna and the entire team of #RRR is doing. Absolute Legends! Incredible moment for Indian Cinema. Lots of love and power to all of them. They are bringing attention and eyeballs to Indian Cinema. I believe it’s just the start.”

ALSO READ: ‘Naatu Naatu’ Makes ‘Golden’ History

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Keeravani opens up on musical influences

In a back-stage interaction with journalists just after he received his trophy, Keeravani, said he is a “great fan” of the 1971 musical film ‘Fiddler on the Roof…reports Asian Lite News

The ‘RRR’ Golden Globe-winning music composer, M.M. Keeravani, opened up on the musical influences that have shaped him throughout his career.

In a back-stage interaction with journalists just after he received his trophy, Keeravani, who’s also known as M.M. Kreem in Hindi movie credits, said he is a “great fan” of the 1971 musical film ‘Fiddler on the Roof’, the Colin Farrell-starrer ‘Phone Booth’ (2002) and the Eddie Murphy movie, ‘Coming to America’ (1988).

Colin Farrell, incidentally, won the Golden Globe for Best Actor (‘The Banshees of Inisherin’) and Eddie Murphy was honoured with the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the glittering event in Los Angeles.

“I am inspired by whatever happens in the world, especially in the West,” Keeravani said. “I have a list of movies that I watch religiously on a daily basis. Each and every movie I watch at least a hundred times,” he added, mentioning that he loves films with “musical content and emotions” because he feels “quite refreshed” after watching them.

With remarkable humility, he made it clear that his inspiration “comes from all the stalwarts from around the world, from the legendary John Williams, who has given music to almost all of ‘Star Wars’ films and Steven Spielberg’s movies, including ‘The Fabelmans’, which got the Best Film Golden Globe, to the Pakistani Sufi music maestro Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

“I am a student, I will be one forever,” declared Keeravani, who is ‘RRR’ maker S.S. Rajamouli’s cousin and believed to be the inspiration of the film’s sequel, which is said to be in the process of being written. “There is something to learn every day,” he added.

Talking about ‘Naatu Naatu’, which staved off challenges from Rihanna, Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga to win the Golden Globe for Original Score, Keeravani said “it is a song of celebration … it portrays stamina, energy and happiness … it is packed with ethnic beats and grooves.”

A no-fuss enunciation of a song that had Los Angeles dancing on the aisles of the city’s iconic TLC Chinese Theatre on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and then got India break into a national celebration.

ALSO READ: ‘Naatu Naatu’ Makes ‘Golden’ History

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‘Naatu Naatu’ Makes ‘Golden’ History

Filmmaker SS Rajamouli’s magnum opus ‘RRR’ bagged the Best Original song trophy for its song ‘Naatu Naatu’ at the 2023 Golden Globes2023 Golden Globes.

India is all set to bring in the Golden Globe 2023 home as the song ‘Naatu Naatu’ from S.S. Rajamouli’s magnum opus ‘RRR’ won the Best Original Song, Motion Picture at the 80th Golden Globes.

‘Naatu Naatu’ was in competition with ‘Carolina’ from “Where the Crawdads Sing”, “Ciao Papa” from “Guillermo del Toro’s “Pinocchio”, “Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”.

To receive the honour was music composer M. M. Keeravani, who was accompanied with his wife Srivalli.

He dedicated the award to Rajamouli and the actors Ram Charan and NTR Jr.

While accepting the award, he said: “Thank you very much for this prestigious award: “This award belongs to SS Rajamouli for his vision, I thank him for constantly believe and supporting my work. N.T. Rama Rao and Ram Charan who danced with full stamina.”

‘RRR’ stars NTR Jr., Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, Shriya Saran, Samuthirakani, Ray Stevenson, Alison Doody and Olivia Morris.

It centres around two real-life Indian revolutionaries, Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem, their fictional friendship and their fight against the British Raj.

Set in the 1920s, the plot explores the undocumented period in their lives when both the revolutionaries chose to go into obscurity before they began the fight for their country.

‘What more can an actor ask for?’: NTR Jr

RRR may have lost the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture (Non-English), but the ‘RRR’ team still has much to celebrate. And celebrate NTR Jr will.

Talking to ‘The Hollywood Reporter’ on the red carpet, looking dapper in a tuxedo and bow tie, with wife Lakshmi Pranathi also in black, the ‘RRR’ star said: “It can’t get any better than this. The West accepting us … America, the Mecca of filmmaking … here we are at the Globes. What more can an actor ask for? … We are truly honoured, truly honoured.”

When asked about the ecstatic audience response to the ‘RRR’ screening at the iconic TCL Chinese Theatre in LA, NTR Jr, after noting how a visit to the century-old cinema was on his bucket list, said: “It blew my mind … That reaction yesterday was nothing less than the reaction back home. People were dancing, people were yelling, people were shouting and screaming. I just loved it, I just loved it.”

He added: “Audiences accepting ‘RRR’ is a very big award altogether. We’ll be truly blessed … It’ll be our pride.”

And what did he plan to do after the awards ceremony was over? With his wife beaming in the background, NTR Jr said: “I just want to relax … chill. Yes, I am going to unwind a little bit.”

Ram Charan’s excitement

After Golden Globe win, actor Ram Charan took to social media to express his excitement.

Ram took to Instagram, where he shared a picture posing with filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli, NTR Jr and music composer M.M. Keeravani.

He wrote: “& WE WON THE GOLDEN GLOBES.”

“Where will I put my trophy? In my heart!”

“Where will I put my trophy? In my heart!” With these words S.S. Rajamouli ended his chat with ‘The Hollywood Reporter’ on the Golden Globes red carpet.

Looking very patrician in his black dhoti and kurta, with a red-bordered back shawl, Rajamouli responded to the anchor reacting to the scenes at LA’s iconic Chinese Theatre the previous night, where the audience started dancing to ‘Naatu, Naatu’ on the aisles.

“Isn’t that great? To take the audience out of their seats and make them dance,” Rajmouli said. “I think it comes from the joy of film watching.”

He noted: “I don’t think America has ever seen that kind of reaction from the audience. Back in India we do. … Humans are humans across the globe wherever they are.”

Talking about the attention RRR is getting and the Oscar season buzz it has created, Rajamouli said: “It really feels great. In India, we make thousands of movies but we hardly get any recognition outside our country. If it puts the spotlight on our films and helps our filmmakers take our stories to the world, it’ll be really great.”

And who’ll be partying after the show? “My stars, R and Charan, they’ll be having the most fun,” Rajamouli said. “I’m usually the guy who’s tensed up about whether everything is going to happen properly … and on time.”

‘Incredible, paradigm shift’: A.R. Rahman

Music composer AR Rahman, who was the first Indian to win a Golden Globe in Best Score category for the 2009 film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, congratulated the team of ‘RRR’ for bringing home the 80th Golden Globe award for the song ‘Naatu Naatu’.

Rahman took to Instagram, where he shared a clip of Jenna Ortega announcing ‘Naatu Naatu’ as the winner in the Best Original Song in Motion Picture category.

He tweeted: “Incredible ..Paradigm shift Congrats Keeravani Garu from all Indians and your fans! Congrats @ssrajamouli Garu and the whole RRR team!”

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‘India is proud of you’: Chiranjeevi

Telugu Mega Star Chiranjeevi, a.k.a. Ram Charan’s father, reacted ecstatically to the Golden Globe for ‘Naatu Naatu’.

He took to Twitter to say: “What a Phenomenonl Historic Achievement!!!! Golden Globes Best Original Song – Motion Picture Award to @mmkeeravaani garu!! Take a Bow! Heartiest Congratulations Team @RRRMovie & @ssrajamouli!! India is proud of you! #NaatuNaatu

Even as congratulatory tweets poured in, the words of the revered ‘Rolling Stone’ magazine suddenly took on a whole new meaning: “RRR is the best — and most revolutionary — blockbuster of 2022..” it said. And specifically about ‘Naatu Naatu’, it said: “… the dance sequence feels like a Gene Kelly number dialled up to superhuman levels.”

ALSO READ: ‘RRR’ = ‘Rise Roar Revolt’= Simply Rajamouli Magic

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‘RRR’ nominated for two Golden Globe awards

A few years ago, nominations for the Globes were seen as a key marker of awards season — a sign of who was up and who was down in the hunt for Oscars and other trophies, notes ‘Variety’…reports Asian Lite News

S.S. Rajamouli’s epic period drama has earned a Golden Globes nomination for Best Picture, Non-English Language, category and it is up against serious competition: “All Quiet on the Western Front” (Germany), “Argentina, 1985” (Argentina), “Close” (Belgium) and “Decision to Leave”, the South Korean romantic mystery that won for its celebrated helmer, Park Chan-wook, the Best Director award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

For “RRR”, it is the penultimate shot at the Oscars, where it is being billed as a potential award-winner either for Rajamouli in the Best Director category, or for the movie in the Best Foreign Film section.

The chart-topping “RRR” song, ‘Naatu Naatu’ (picturised on Ram Charan and Jr NTR), is in contention for the trophy in the Best Original Song, Motion Picture, category as well, up against Taylor Swift’s “Carolina” (“Where the Crawdads Sing”), “Ciao Papa’ from “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”, “Hold My Hand” (“Top Gun: Maverick”; Lady Gaga, BloodPop), and Rihanna’s haunting anthem for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” — “Lift Me Up”.

If “Naatu Naatu” gets the final nod, then the trophy will be lifted by music composer M.M. Keeravani as well as playback singers Kala Bhairava and Rahul Sipligunj.

Keeravani won the award for the Best Original Score on Sunday at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, where Rajamouli was the runner-up for the Best Director prize. The creator of blockbusters, incidentally, was named Best Director at the New York Film Critics Circle awards. The honours are just piling up for “RRR”.

‘Variety’, meanwhile, reports that “The Banshees of Inisherin”, a darkly comic story of a shattered friendship set against the backdrop of the Irish civil war, led the nominations for the 2023 Golden Globes. It scored eight nods, including best picture in the musical or comedy genre, as well as for Martin McDonagh’s directing and screenplay.

“Everything Everywhere All at Once”, an innovative sci-fi fable that unfolds across a multiverse, according to ‘Variety’, followed close behind with six nominations. “The Fabelmans”, Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical examination of his childhood; “Babylon”, a Rabelaisian look at Hollywood’s silent era; and “Elvis”, a biopic of the rock legend, each had five nominations.

A few years ago, nominations for the Globes were seen as a key marker of awards season — a sign of who was up and who was down in the hunt for Oscars and other trophies, notes ‘Variety’.

A steady stream of scandals and celebrity defections has muted that impact, so it’s unclear how seriously Hollywood and its cottage industry of awards prognosticators and strategists will take Monday’s announcement.

Unlike the Oscars, the Globes separate comedies and musicals from dramas, allowing the group to broaden its list of honorees. Dramas up for best picture include “The Fabelmans” and “Elvis” (not listed as a musical despite containing nearly two-hours worth of music), as well as “Tar”, an indie about sexual harassment in classical music.

‘Variety’ adds there was also room for two blockbusters that theatre owners hope can rescue the embattled exhibition business — “Top Gun: Maverick”, the year’s biggest hit, and “Avatar: The Way of Water”, which opens on Friday, carrying with it enormous trade expectations.

ALSO READ-‘RRR’ = ‘Rise Roar Revolt’= Simply Rajamouli Magic

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‘RRR’ = ‘Rise Roar Revolt’= Simply Rajamouli Magic

The first two acts of the plot move at a leisurely pace, but the last act is hurriedly wrapped up in the last 30 minutes. There is a lot of gore in the form of torture — and that is when your spirits dip…writes Troy Rebeiro

(Running in Theatres); Duration: 187 minutes, Director: S.S. Rajamouli. Cast: Jr NTR, Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, Olivia Morris, Samuthirakani, Alison Doody, Ray Stevenson and Shriya Saran. (Rating: ***)

Director S.S. Rajamouli’s ‘RRR’, which is the abbreviation for ‘Roudram Ranam Rudhiram’ or ‘Rise Roar Revolt’, is a torture fest, literally and figuratively, unless you view the film as a fantasy fiction catering to the masses.

Set in 1920s India, this is a fictitious story about two revolutionaries who, away from home, take it upon themselves to fight the British.

The narrative, divided into three chapters begins with ‘The Story’. It tells us how Mali, a pre-teen girl from the Gond tribe of the Deccan forests, is forcibly taken from her home and her parents to Delhi at the behest of Mrs Buxton, wife of the British Governor Scott Buxton.

The next chapter, ‘The Fire’, introduces us to the daredevil policeman, A. Rama Raju (Ram Charan), who goes all-out to impress his British boss.

The third chapter, ‘The Water’, presents Bheem (Jr NTR), the forest dweller who travels to Delhi disguised as Akhtar, a Muslim man, to rescue Mali, the girl from his tribe.

How Rama and Bheem meet, form a bond of contrived friendship, and take on British colonials, forms the crux of the magnum opus. Adding to the plot is Bheem’s brief romance with Jenny (Olivia Morris), Rama’s back-story, and his lady love, Sita (Alia Bhatt), waiting for him.

The film is packed with cinematic excesses and liberties. It opens with visually impressive frames and scenes, but gradually the novelty wears off as the storytelling appears lame and tiresome. It is only when the narrative breaks into its first song, ‘Nacho Nacho’ (‘Naatu Naatu’ in the Telugu original) that the screen comes alive, and thereafter the plot gains momentum.

The first two acts of the plot move at a leisurely pace, but the last act is hurriedly wrapped up in the last 30 minutes. There is a lot of gore in the form of torture — and that is when your spirits dip.

Not wanting the opportunity to slip, Bheem sings and stirs a revolution. This also happens to be the turning point for Rama, but that does not surface organically. The final 15 minutes with exhilarating action sequences showing Lord Rama destroying his enemies with his bow and arrows, seems more like a comic-book rendition.

While there is a patriotic streak to Rama’s tale, Ram Charan’s actions are so obligatory that it is impossible to be emotionally attached to him. On the other hand, Jr NTR, as the little girl’s saviour, is endearing. Alia Bhatt, as Sita, has hardly anything to offer.

Ajay Devgn as Venkat, Rama’s father, the policeman-turned-revolutionary mouthing instructions in English, “Load, Aim, Attack”, sounds preposterous, despite his intense demeanour and sincere performance. Shriya Sharan, as his wife, has nothing much to do in the film.

Olivia Morris as Jenny is passable. The only one to get your goat is Alison Doody. She very effectively plays her part as the obnoxious Lady Buxton, who demands to see Bheem on his knees and on not seeing enough blood, offers a special whip to make him apologise.

The film is mounted with ace production values. The CGI images seamlessly merge with live-action frames, but their quality varies from good to mediocre.

ALSO READ-‘RRR’ smashes records