Forum: Was Naatu Naatu Oscar Worthy?
Two perspectives...
It is a lovely, exuberant song but does not have artistic merit for an Oscar.
By Prem Parekh
Despite being born and brought up in the suburbs of Atlanta, I am a proud ABCD—American Born Confident Desi. I grew up loving Indian cinema and music.
Naatu Naatu, like most Indian hits, was added right into all of my playlists. I love listening to and dancing to this song and its catchy chorus, and I am very proud to see the representation of India at the Oscars.
However, I just can’t help but wonder whether Naatu Naatu has the technical merit to be considered the Best Original Song (made for a movie) for this year. Did the Academy succumb to the increasing pressure to appear diverse and inclusive? Did they see in its catchy tunes an easy way out to silence the critics who have increasingly riled against the Academy under the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite?
One of the most controversial decisions in the recent Oscars history was the selection of Green Book as Best Picture over Roma in 2019. Green Book was heavily criticized for its reliance on stereotypes and the white savior trope. In an article by Jenni Miller for NBC, it was called “a movie about racism, made by white people for white people.” Roma, however, was a critically-acclaimed and beautifully crafted film that told the story of a domestic worker in Mexico City of 1970s. The Academy faced criticism for attempting to overcorrect after the 2015 #OscarsSoWhite boycott by ignorantly choosing a film that appeared diverse without properly considering its quality.
[Right] A production made with instruments and technology only available in the ’50s, Taylor Swift’s Carolina perfectly captures the story of Kya, an outcast little girl in small town North Carolina of 1950s.
The same seems to be the issue with Naatu Naatu this year. The song’s chorus is almost entirely made up of only one note and the lyrics seem simplistic and repetitive. Also, no one would deny that the song’s electrifying dance sequence played a big part in making it a global sensation. If there were an Oscar category for dance choreography, then certainly this song was unbeatable.
The problem is essentially a matter of forced change versus authentic intentions for change. If the Academy truly cared about diverse representation, they could have considered more nuanced songs from Indian cinema this year. There were plenty of outstanding ones like Kesariya (Brahmastra) Kahani (Laal Singh Chaddha), and Doobey (Gehraiyaan). In fact, with heart-tugging lyrics and soulful music that so powerfully supported the narrative, the song Komuram Bheemudo, from RRR movie itself, had more artistic merit than Naatu Naatu.
Naatu Naatu was up against Rihanna’s Lift Me Up, Lady Gaga’s Hold My Hand, Son Lux’s This is a Life, and Diane Warren’s Applause. Each of these songs has better technical merit. The clear favorite was Lift Me Up, a soulful ballad from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, dedicated to Chadwick Boseman.
That said, I believe that the best song made for a movie this year was one which was not even nominated: Carolina by Taylor Swift written for Where The Crawdads Sing. With lyrics like “Indelible scars, pivotal marks, blue as the life she fled,” and a production made with instruments and technology only available in the ’50s, this song perfectly captures the story of Kya, an outcast little girl in small town North Carolina of 1950s.
One potential change that the Academy could consider is splitting this category into two: one for deep lyrical ballads, and another for big hits—similar to how the Grammy Awards have Song of the Year category which applauds songwriting, and Record of the Year category which recognizes outstanding production and how popular the song became. Such a change would allow for recognizing both popularity and artistic merit. Songs like Naatu Naatu could continue to be recognized for what they are and ballads, like Lift Me Up, would not get snubbed.
Naatu Naatu is a very enjoyable and uplifting song, but it is not a good choice for nomination, let alone a win, for an Oscar. I would compare it to a song like Zingaat (Sairat), another enjoyable song with a one-note chorus, but should Zingaat ever win an award over a deep lyrical masterpiece like Ae Dil Hai Mushkil?
Prem Parekh, a junior studying entrepreneurship, music, and acting at Georgia State University, is a film buff, loves antakshari, and has had background screen appearances in Marvel and other Hollywood productions.
Less about fine filigree and more about soul-thumping rhythm
By Amita Naganand
A top of the world feeling certainly resonated with me when I watched an African-American and a Caucasian announcer hand over an Oscar for Best Original Song to an Asian Indian from my hometown, Hyderabad, for his sensational song Naatu Naatu. This was straight out of the “It’s a Small World” Disneyland exhibit making a case for international unity, where dolls in traditional costumes sing in multiple languages from all over the world about the laughter, tears, hopes, and fears of mankind.
Naatu Naatu, a song in the epic action Telugu movie RRR brings together two revolutionaries fighting the British in pre-Independence India. With punchy lyrics bringing together nature and the primal human instinct to fight aggression, the song captures a moment when the Indian heroes respond with a floor-breaking dance to a Britisher’s taunt, “Do you Indians even know any art? Do you even know anything about dance?” The elite may have defined what art and dancing are, but here were two Davids taking on Goliath defiantly with a rhythm that dared you to stand still unmoved, and a melody that could easily be sung by the common man.
Musically speaking, the melody was less about fine filigree work that impresses and leaves one spellbound, and more about a tune that any person could hum and replicate. With only five distinct notes in a limited range, the song was set to a rhythm often used in folk music. The musical flavor was indeed that of eating a jowar roti with a chilli rather than a dish of dozens of subtle spices.
What was brilliant about the song was an excellent choice of an enemy—an elite aggressor who underestimated the “uncivilized” and the marginalized. The song unified people against the basic issue of oneupmanship: arrogance about one’s perspective as well as a lack of curiosity and respect for another point of view. In today’s world that thrives on sowing seeds of distrust and division based on gender, race, ethnicity, or religion, the song’s “unite humanity” approach was a welcome change.
While no one can dispute the universality of the need for belonging and love, what Naatu Naatu did better with its lyrics, simple melody, and soul-thumping rhythm was to energize people, sparking the primal instinct to fight for one’s rights and way of being.
On the heels of the “Me Too” and the “Black Lives Matter” movement, it was not hard to see why the theme of the underdog standing up to the aggressors connected viscerally with the audience. Fortuitously filmed (before the current war) against the backdrop of Mariyinsky Palace, the official residence of the President of Ukraine, the song was a visual reminder that this is not just a story from the past—it is alive and well in the shocking invasion of Ukraine.
Other nominees for Best Original Song at the Oscars primarily brought forth a longing for an emotional connection, love, and applause. Rihanna’s Lift Me Up speaks to a basic emotional need for safety. Diane Warren’s Applause celebrates strong women and asks that they applaud themselves for all that they’ve worked for instead of waiting for external applause. “Tell me you need me,” says Lady Gaga in Hold My Hand. The stranglehold of destiny and yearning for miracles is the theme of Son Lux’s This is a Life.
While no one can dispute the universality of the need for belonging and love, what Naatu Naatu did better with its lyrics, simple melody, and soul-thumping rhythm was to energize people, sparking the primal instinct to fight for one’s rights and way of being.
Describing the criteria for Best Original Song, the Academy, on its website, elaborates: “An original song consists of words and music, both of which are original and written specifically for the motion picture. There must be a clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition (not necessarily visually presented) of both lyric and melody....” It is perhaps this—the significance of the lyrics of Naatu Naatu, which so powerfully support the storyline of the film, couched in a universally catchy melody—that gave this song an edge over its competitors.
Dr. Amita Naganand is a data scientist who has worked for higher education, health services, and local and state government institutions. She is a trained Hindustani music vocalist.
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