Hyderabad: Basking in the success of the ‘RRR’ at the Academy awards this year, South superstar Jr NTR on Wednesday expressed his delight over the chartbuster ‘Naatu Naatu’ winning the coveted golden statuette, saying that seeing music composer MM Keeravaani and lyricist Chandrabose accepting the Oscar was the “best moment” in his life.
Jr NTR, who arrived at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad on Tuesday, said the win could not have been possible without love from the audience and the film industry.
“Seeing MM Keeravaani and Chandrabose accepting the Oscar was the best moment. I feel very proud of ‘RRR’. I want to thank every Indian for showering love on our film. We won this award only because of the love we received from the audience globally, as well as from the film industry,” said Jr NTR.
Meanwhile, the film’s choreographer Prem Rakshith said, “It was the best feeling. It was a big journey. The best feeling after the Oscars was when MM Keeravaani and Chandrabose hugged me. I am so blessed.”
On Monday, the infectiously foot-tapping ‘Naatu Naatu’ won the Oscar for ‘Best Original Song’ while ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ won in the ‘Best Documentary Short Film’ category, marking India’s moment of triumph at the awards gala at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California.
‘Naatu Naatu’ was the first Telugu song to be nominated in the ‘Original Song’ category at the Oscars.
It won the award trumping big names such as Rihanna and Lady Gaga. Singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava and composer along with director SS Rajamouli and lead actors Jr NTR and Ram Charan were also present at the big event.
The lyrical composition by MM Keeravani, high energy rendition by singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava, unique choreography by Prem Rakshith, and lyrics by Chandrabose are all the elements that make this ‘RRR’ mass anthem a perfect dance craze.
The song competed against ‘Applause’ from the film ‘Tell It Like A Woman,’ ‘Hold My Hand’ from the movie ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ ‘Lift me Up’ from ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,’ and ‘This Is Life,’ from ‘Everything, Everywhere All At Once’.
‘RRR’ is a fictional story based on the lives of two Telugu freedom fighters, Alluri Seetharama Raju and Komaram Bheem. Ram Charan and Jr NTR played the lead roles in the film, which collected over Rs 1,200 crore worldwide.
Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn and Shriya Saran also starred in the film.