Naatu Naatu
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About
Naatu Naatu is an award-winning song from the 2022 Indian Bollywood film RRR. The song (sung by Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava and acted by N. T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan) became a viral hit on YouTube and TikTok following its release, where it racked up millions of views and inspired recreations of its dance. The track became the first song from an Asian film to win the Academy Award for "Best Original Song" in mid-March 2023.
Origin
"Naatu Naatu" was released on November 10th, 2021, months ahead of the release of RRR. It was posted to the Lahari Music / T-series YouTube channel, where it gained over 146 million views in 16 months. "Naatu Naatu" was composed by M. M. Keeravani with lyrics by Chandrabose.[1]
In the film, released on March 25th, 2022, the main characters Rama Raju and Bheem, based on real-life Indian revolutionaries, are attending a gathering held by British colonizers. While facing prejudice from some of the white members of the party, the two break out into "Naatu Naatu," to the delight of the women in attendance. The number turns into a dance-off where the pair outdance the British men, and Rama Raju lets Bheem win the dance-off to help him woo a woman he has feelings for who is watching their dance battle.
Spread
The song was quickly identified as a highlight scene of RRR by critics and fans alike.[2] At multiple film screenings across the world, audience members were known to enthusiastically cheer and dance in the aisles during the number (examples shown below).
The scene also sparked numerous recreations of the dance on Indian social media. On November 15th, 2021, TikToker realrahulshah posted a clip of himself and a friend recreating the dance, gaining over 1.5 million likes in 16 months (shown below, top). On November 17th, 2021, the YouTube account Your Reels posted a compilation of Indian social media users recreating the dance, gaining over 1.8 million views in a similar timeframe (shown below, bottom).
"Naatu Naatu" won both the Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Original Song in March 2023.[3]
Various Examples
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