Ram Charan denies producer Raj Kapoor's claims of refusing to perform Naatu Naatu at Oscars: 'I was 100% ready but...'

Ram Charan landed back in Delhi on Friday morning after RRR's historic win at the Oscars where Naatu Naatu was adjudged as the Best Original Song. Composed by MM Keeravani and written by Chandrabose, the multiple award-winning track was even performed on the stage at the 95th Academy Awards last Sunday at the Dolby Theatre, Los Angeles.

It was the singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava who sang the song and an international group of dancers grooved to its energetic beats. Many people wondered why didn't Ram Charan and Jr NTR, who rocked Naatu Naatu in the film RRR, performed on the Oscars stage.

After the awards night, the Oscars 2023 producer Raj Kapoor said that the two superstars were initially supposed to perform but later backed out as they "did not feel comfortable" performing live on the stage. However, in his latest interview, Ram Charan has seemingly denied these claims.

Speaking at India Today Conclave last evening, Charan said, "I was ready. I was 100 percent ready to get that call. But I don’t know what happened. The troupe did a better job than us. We have done that for so many interviews. It is now time for us to relax." The actor even recalled how tough it was shooting the Prem Rakshith-choreographed dance number as he stated, "My knees still wobble really. My co-star (Jr NTR) and I have done more complicated steps. It was not complicated. Both our styles had to match but how was I to see what he is doing? We did it 17 times to perfect it. That’s why we call it the beautiful torture."

Meanwhile, the Oscars producer Raj Kapoor said in his interview with The Academy, "Originally, the two leads were going to be the stars of the number alongside the singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava. 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."

READ | Jr NTR, Ram Charan were originally supposed to perform RRR's Naatu Naatu at Oscars 2023 but later backed out, know why