Filmmaker SS Rajamouli's period action blockbuster RRR charted history by becoming the first Indian track to win the Academy Award in the Best Original Song category for Naatu Naatu.
This is the third major international recognition for the chartbuster Naatu Naatu, composed by MM Keeravaani and penned by Chandrabose, after a Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award.
All about Naatu Naatu choreographer Prem Rakshith
Prem Rakshith, 45, is an Indian choreographer working predominantly in Telugu cinema.
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Born in Puducherry and raised in Chennai, his real name is Thomas Satish, and he was actually born as a Hindu before his grandmother got the entire family converted to Roman Catholicism.
Speaking to Cine Josh last year, Prem Rakshith revealed he worked for 30 days on 97 dance movements for the song and that the team used ultra zoom in order to get the sync right between the actors. Originally, the plan was to shoot the song in the backdrop of 100 dancers, but they later decided against it due to the lead stars’ dance moves.
Rajamouli recently also revealed in an interview that choreographer Prem Rakshith came up with over "100 variations" of the hook step for the song.
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RRR (Rise Roar Revolt), a pre-independence fictional story, follows two real-life Indian revolutionaries - Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan) and Komaram Bheem (Jr NTR) - in the 1920s.
Naatu Naatu celebrates the inclusive spirit of dance and bonhomie and features Charan and Jr NTR matching steps to its catchy rhythm. The title of the track translates to bucolic in Telugu. It demonstrates the spirit of fun in country music in its over 4.35 minutes of runtime.
Naatu Naatu was shot on the lawns of the Presidential Palace of Kyiv in Ukraine. Naatu Naatu singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kala Bhairava also performed the song at the Oscars ceremony.
