‘What is Naatu?’ Indian Film Song Hit Wins an Oscar
Kaala Bhairava and Rahul Sipligunj arrive on the red carpet of the 95th Oscars, 12 March 2023. ©A.M.P.A.S.
1920s colonial India, an elegant lawn party. There is tension in the air: Jake, an arrogant British colonialist, is trying to evict Bheem (an anti-colonial tribal warrior) and Ram (an Indian officer of the British police) from the party. The guests are standing in a wide circle around the three men. Ram is calmy resting his hand on Bheem’s shoulder as they openly defy Jake’s authority: “Not salsa, not flamenco, my brother. Do you know – Naatu?” Jake looks nervously into the silent crowd. He is no longer so sure of himself: “What is Naatu?” What follows is a mesmerizing dance-off as the British ladies rally around Bheem and Ram. Jake, in the meantime, is side-lined, making a fool of himself while trying to copy the dance of the two men.
None of this really happened – but on 12 March 2023, the song “Naatu Naatu” from the Indian action drama RRR became the first song from an Indian film to win the Oscar for best original song. Written by M. M. Keeravaani and with lyrics by Chandrabose, the song has captured audiences across the globe, leading to a social media trend where people post their version of the dance routine’s signature step. Even the staff of the South Korean embassy in India’s capital New Delhi has posted their enthusiastic interpretation of the dance on Twitter. South Korea’s elegant, grey-haired Ambassador Chang Jae-bok is dancing away in the name of diplomacy, embodying the diplomatic soft power of South Korean coolness!
Talking about the soft power of culture - there is even an uncanny connection between the film’s anti-colonial theme and the war in Ukraine. Russia’s President Putin cannot accept that Ukraine has the right to exist as an independent country because he believes that it belongs to Russia: in the past, Ukraine was first a part of the Russian empire and then of the Soviet Union, which was also an empire dominated by Russia. So, what is the connection to “Naatu Naatu”? The scene was filmed half a year before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, in front of the Mariinskyi Palace, the official residence of the president of Ukraine.