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POLITIKOFF

'Naatu Naatu': Will This Song Make Oscars History?

Politiko 2023-03-09 19:35:59

'Naatu Naatu': Will This Song Make Oscars History?

The central song and dance number from the Indian film RRR became an internet sensation and is believed to win the Oscar for Best Original Song. Charukesi Ramadurai explains why.

"No salsa, no flamenco, my brother. Do you know naatu ?", a handsome, bearded Indian asks a confused-looking Englishman. Without waiting for an answer, and accompanied by his friend, he breaks into a song and dance that is one of the most high-octane, foot-stomping numbers to grace a cinema screen.

Using only their wide grins and stretchy underpants as props, Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan Teja) and Komaram Bheem (NT Rama Rao Jr) kick off a minor dust storm with their energetic steps and perfectly synchronized, costumes their European elegance in sharp contrast to their powerful movements. The mischievous Englishman – we only know him as Jake – calls their performance "disgusting" and "dirty" before joining a dance competition, only to collapse from exhaustion. Raju and Bheem, meanwhile, dance repeatedly in triumph. The song is very catchy Naatu Naatu – the viral sensation from the 2022 Telugu movie RRR – short for Rise Roar Revolt.

The lines from the song are an ode to all that is earthy and rustic, like the sharp bite of a green pepper that gives you a high

"Naatu" in this song simply refers to something uber-local or desi, as opposed to foreign, non-Indian salsa and flamenco. Lines from the song are an ode to all that is earthy and rustic, like the sharp bite of a green chili that gives you a high, or the pulsing beat of a drum that makes your heart beat faster.

And the song is a metaphor for the film itself: the two naatu freedom fighters take on the power of the British Empire (represented here by an evil official named Governor Scott Buxton and his equally evil wife Catherine, along with a group of officers of young men who often slap and punch the locals), bringing him to his knees. It's a song about redemption, about David jumping the giant Goliath right out of the arena.

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