RRR wins Oscar for best original song

Monitoring Desk

LOS ANGELES: The song Naatu Naatu from the hit Telugu-language film RRR has made history by becoming the first Indian film song to win an Oscar.

The blockbuster track won Best Original Song at the 95th Academy Awards, beating heavyweights like Lady Gaga and Rihanna, reported BBC on Monday.

Its catchy tempo and choreography has captivated audiences around the world.

India won a second Oscar for The Elephant Whisperers which won in the Best Documentary Short film category.

The documentary, which tells the story of a couple who care for an injured baby elephant after it gets separated from its herd, is the first Indian production to bag a win in the category.

Shot in the picturesque Nilgiri mountains in southern India, The Elephant Whisperers explores the warm bond that develops between the human and animal as they begin to coexist.

However, India’s big win remained Naatu Naatu, a thumping song that has got thousands grooving to its beats.

The song already made history in January when it won a Golden Globe for the best original song – a first for India. The same month, it also won the Critics’ Choice award for the best song.

While accepting the Oscar, composer MM Keeravani said the song was “the pride of every Indian”.

He said that he had grown up listening to songs by The Carpenters – an American music duo – and sang the rest of his speech in the tune of their hit song Top Of The World.

The audience burst into laughter and applause as he said that RRR had “put me on the top of the world”.

Many Indians have taken to Twitter to express their happiness about the song’s win.

N Chandrababu Naidu, an influential politician from the two southern Indian states where Telugu is spoken, said on Twitter that the song had “sealed its place in history”. “This is probably the finest moment for Indian Cinema and Telugus achieving it is even more special,” he wrote.

The movie’s official Twitter handle called the win a “surreal moment” and dedicated it to “all our amazing fans across the world”.