Explained: How RRR scored Best Song nomination & win at Oscars, which mainly honours US films

It has happened. RRR song 'Naatu Naatu' has created history by winning an Oscar for Best Original Song. The SS Rajamouli film became the first Indian production to win an Oscar. Previously, many Indians, including costume designer Bhanu Athaiya (for Gandhi) and composer AR Rahman (for Slumdog Millionaire), have won the Academy Award statuette, but for British or American productions (though Gandhi was a joint Indian and British production). RRR, featuring Ram Charan and Jr NTR in lead roles, thus created history. Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, Shriya Saran, Samuthirakani, Ray Stevenson, Alison Doody, and Olivia Morris were also in the film's cast.

Also Read:RRR at Oscars 2023: 'Naatu Naatu' creates history as it wins Best Original Song trophy

But how did RRR enter categories that a typical Indian film production does not?

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What was RRR all about?

RRR follows two real-life revolutionaries who took on the might of the British Empire in the early 20th century. Alluri Sitarama Raju (Charan) and Komaram Bheem (Rama Rao) join forces in 1920 to fight the colonialists. The film's title, RRR, stands for "Roudram Ranam Rudhiram" which means "Revolt, Battle, Bloodshed" in Telugu.

How RRRbecame a phenomenon?

Rajamouli has always been an expert at crafting cinematic set pieces. We saw that ability play a big part in the Baahubali movies. He is extremely careful about the technical aspects of his films. That done, he creates sequences that may not follow logic, and they are not meant to, but are wildly entertaining once you surrender your faculties to the film. He makes no pretence of creating action that follows the laws of physics or any such thing. He delivers crazy, outlandish, gravity and logic-defying spectacle that you have to enjoy on his own terms. RRR is the most Rajamouli-ish Rajamouli has ever been. In India, the film was quite a big hit, but we have seen such big, masala-stuffed films before, though nothing on that scale.

The rest of the world? They hadn't. And the movie being available on Netflix made sure the commitment to watch the admittedly fairly long movie wasn't that big. And they simply fell under the spell cast by Rajamouli. As per author and Doctor Strange co-screenwriter C. Robert Cargill saidRRR "is a level of spectacle that defies description."

As the world danced to the tunes of 'Naatu Naatu' for the better part of last year, it became increasingly clear to many that the film, and particularly its song, had awards potential, and could even win the biggest cinema honour of them all: an Oscar. The film had been a huge success when it was released in India. The presence of Hindi film stars Devgn and Bhatt made sure that RRR, like Rajamouli's own Baahubali movies, truly became a pan-Indian film.

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India's Oscar snub

Like many countries, India was going to send an entry for Oscar's foreign film category (precisely, the Best International Feature Film category). Many hoped and expected it was going to be RRR. The buzz was at an all-time high after all. But the Film Federation of India chose Pan Nalin's Chhello Show (or Last Film Show) instead.

Also Read:India records history at Oscars 2023: Kangana Ranaut, Ajay Devgn, Chiranjeevi & others celebrate

For your Consideration campaign

But the snub by the film's own country did not seem to hurt RRR. By then the film had become humongous in the US. The film's American distributor Variance Films and Rajamouli submitted the film to the Oscars in 14 categories in 'For Your Consideration' campaign. It was Variance Films' confidence in the film's chances that made RRR an unlikely hopeful for Oscars' major categories. RRR was also promoted to take the Oscar statuette in Best Supporting Actor (Ajay Devgn), Best Supporting Actress (Alia Bhatt), Screenplay, Score, Editing, Cinematography, Sound, Production Design, VFX, and other categories.

Variance Films president Dylan Marchetti told Variety when RRR was snubbed in September last year, “Over the last six months, we have seen the joy that S.S. Rajamouli’s ‘RRR’ has brought to global audiences. We have seen the film gross over $140 million worldwide to become one of India’s highest grossing films of all time and become the first film in history to trend globally on Netflix for over 14 weeks. We have seen the film fill up theaters with cheering audiences months after its initial release, including the historic TCL Chinese IMAX theater in Hollywood, where it will play next Friday to an audience that sold out of one of the largest theaters in the country in just 15 minutes. Most importantly, we have heard fans from around the world tell us that they believe this is one of the best films of the year from any nation. We agree. We proudly invite the Academy to consider RRR in all categories.”

Thankfully, RRR fulfilled all the conditions to be considered in different Oscar categories. An Oscar hopeful project should release in at least one American theatre between 1 January and 31 December of the year (2022 in this year). RRR was released on March 4, 2022. Also, the film was released in Indian earlier than in the US. But that is allowed,but no earlier than 1 January of the year before the consideration year (2021 in this case).

RRR was ultimately snubbed in most categories in Oscar nominations, though it did get a Best Original Song nod. The Golden Globe win earlier this year only boosted the film's chances at Oscars, and finally, 'Naatu Naatu' is an Oscar-winning song.

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