The denizens of India, who have a profound passion for cinema, are in a state of euphoria and rapture as director S.S. Rajamouli's adrenaline-infused epic, RRR, has reached a remarkable milestone by becoming the first locally produced Indian movie to receive an Academy Award. At the Oscars ceremony held on Sunday night, the exquisite composition of "Naatu Naatu" by composer M.M. Keeravaani was adorned with the coveted golden statuette in the category of best original song, which was highly anticipated.
Ram Charan, the lead actor in RRR, promptly issued a statement following the film's success, saying: "This honor is for every Indian actor, technician, and film enthusiast. I am profoundly grateful to all the fans worldwide for their love and support. This is a victory for our country."
M.M. Keeravaani expressed similar sentiments when he spoke backstage at the Oscars, stating, "I feel immensely fortunate to have received this prestigious accolade on behalf of my country, culture, motherland, and film industry. I believe this is just the beginning, and the world will start paying more attention to Indian music, which is long overdue."
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also joined in the festivities, tweeting: "Exceptional! The popularity of 'Naatu Naatu' is global. It will be a song that will be remembered for years to come. Congratulations to @mmkeeravaani, @boselyricist, and the entire team for this prestigious honor. India is overjoyed and proud."
However, the celebration was not without discomfort, thanks to a cultural blunder by Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel. Initially, Kimmel entertained the audience by jokingly saying, "This year, we're not going to play you off the stage. Instead, we have a group of performers from the movie RRR who will dance you offstage." The dancers then came on stage and performed the "Naatu Naatu" song from the film.
Later in his monologue, Kimmel mistakenly referred to RRR as a "Bollywood film," when it was a Telugu-language film produced in the southern region of India known as "Tollywood." Bollywood refers to the Hindi-language filmmaking tradition centered in Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay. This conflation of two vastly different ethnic identities and cultures caused disappointment and anger among RRR fans in India, who expressed their dissatisfaction on Twitter.