Music composer MM Keeravani and lyricist Chandrabose made India proud at the 95th Academy Awards winning the Best Original Song for RRR's Naatu Naatu. The energetic and infectious track was even performed by the original singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava at the Oscars stage, along with a bunch of professional dancers.
Now, in an interview to The Academy, Oscars 2023 producer Raj Kapoor, who was born in New Delhi and grew up in Canada, has revealed that initially Jr NTR and Ram Charan, the lead stars of SS Rajamouli's global blockbuster hit, were supposed to perform Naatu Naatu at the Oscars stage up until late February.
Talking about how he and his team shaped the Naatu Naatu performance at the Oscars, Raj Kapoor said, "We were extremely proud to have worked side by side with the film's creative team to help shape the Naatu Naatu performance for the Oscars stage. During our first creative call, we spoke with the film's public relations team, Karthikeya (Rajamouli), the film's producers, and composer MM Keeravaani. As soon as the nomination was announced, we asked for the involvement of choreographer Prem Rakshith since the choreography is so iconic to the impact of this musical number."
"Originally, the two leads were going to be the stars of the number alongside the singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava. The show was very instrumental in helping secure working visas for their team to be able to come to the U.S. to be a part of the performance", he continued.
Raj even shared how Keeravani and Prem's team helped them in bringing the performance together as he continued, "Prem and his assistant provided a video breakdown of the audition choreography, which we sent out to the biggest dance agencies in Los Angeles. Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo, known as Nappytabs, were brought in to help stage the number and shape it for television using the original choreography from the movie. Once we had the musical edit approved by MM Keeravaani, we did late-night Zoom calls with the choreography team in India and Los Angeles. We shared casting choices, costume design ideas, and stage renderings with the team from India."
Finally, Raj revealed that Jr NTR and Ram Charan "did not feel comfortable" performing Naatu Naatu live on the stage, and hence two new leads were brought on for the performance. "In late February, we were informed that Ram Charan and N.T. Rama Rao Jr. would be attending the Oscars, but they did not feel comfortable performing the live number on stage. The change was brought on because of their other professional commitments and the limited amount of time to rehearse. The original number was workshopped and rehearsed for two months and was shot over a period of 15 days. The Naatu Naatu performance for the Oscars was rehearsed in Los Angeles with professional dancers for a total of 18 hours of rehearsal and one 90-minute camera blocking", he concluded.
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