Sorry But That ‘Naatu Naatu’ Performance Proves That ‘RRR’ Got Snubbed At The Oscars
The Oscars didn't deserve them.
‘Naatu Naatu’ won the Oscar for Best Song, but RRR was noticeably absent from the rest of the awards.
On the whole, I’m glad musical performances are a thing at the Oscars. As much as I enjoy the journey and drama of acceptance speeches, sometimes I need a minute to recover. (In the case of Ke Huy Quan’s win for Best Supporting Actor, I need a whole day.)
Was it just me, though, or did some of the performances not quite land? Disney alum Sofia Carson and Oscars veteran Diane Warren performed ‘Applause’ from the anthology film Tell It Like A Woman, which was a perfectly lovely opener. Everything Everywhere All At Once’s Stephanie Hsu and David Byrne’s rendition of ‘This Is A Life’ was alright. Lady Gaga’s powerful but pared down performance of ‘Hold My Hand’ from Top Gun: Maverick was strong, but I don’t think we needed to be that close to her face the whole time. Rihanna did give a dazzling rendition of ‘Lift Me Up’ from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
But the clear standout was Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava lighting up the stage with their performance of ‘Naatu Naatu’ from RRR. It was perfection: the song, the choreography, the costume design. I truly could not stop smiling.
But then the smile dropped when I realised that RRR wasn’t nominated for anything else.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Top Gun: Maverick had nods in other categories. Everything Everywhere All At Once had 11. Why aren’t we giving RRR the same recognition? It wasn’t a contender for Best International Feature Film because the Film Federation of India didn’t put it forward. But it didn’t belong there anyway. With its massive global reception and breakout success, a win for best original song does not reflect the movie’s impact in the slightest. It’s an action-packed rollercoaster that should’ve at least scored nods for original screenplay or best director. Production design and editing is right there too.
‘Naatu Naatu’ was by far the best performance at the Oscars, but the Oscars didn’t deserve it.
Here's the energetic performance of "Naatu Naatu" from #RRR at the #Oscars. https://t.co/ndiKiHeOT5 pic.twitter.com/Lf2nP826c4
— Variety (@Variety) March 13, 2023
Image credit: Chris Pizzello / AAP