Sur, Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi and Kaante maker Pritish Nandy on MM Keeravaani & RRR’s triumph in America

Producer-thinker-author-poet Pritish Nandy was one of the first to discover the unplumbed depths and vast versatility of MM Keeravaani.

Says the maverick media baron, “Keeravaani has always been one of my favourite composers and music directors. In fact, I persuaded him to score the music for my first production, Sur which launched singer Lucky Ali as an actor. While the film did not fare that well in the box office, the music of Sur by Keeravaani, then known as MM Kreem, topped the charts for months on end with four of its songs ending up as super hits. It remains one of our most successful albums till date.” Mr Nandy feels the music of RRR is one of its key assets.”The sheer energy and magic of Naatu Naatu, with its exceptional choreography, was so magnificent that it took the Golden Globe for the Best Original Song away from rival nominees like Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Taylor Swift, three of America’s most fabled singer-performers. Keeravaani takes the entire credit for that.”

The global success of RRR doesn’t surprise Mr Nandy. “As movies go global, the power and magic of what different cultures are producing is bound to attract the Western world which has been till now isolated within the boundaries of its own creative universe. Suddenly they have discovered new experiences via the coming of OTT which offers everyone instant access to global content. One day they are taken up by Narcos from Colombia. Another day Parasite from Korea sweeps them off their feet. Then Roma from Mexico bags the highest nominations at the Academy Awards since Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon from China. Money Heist from Spain. Squid Game from South Korea. Fauda from Israel. All are huge successes.

And the GOLDEN GLOBE AWARD FOR BEST ORIGINAL SONG Goes to #NaatuNaatu #GoldenGlobes #GoldenGlobes2023 #RRRMovie

pic.twitter.com/CGnzbRfEPk

— RRR Movie (@RRRMovie) January 11, 2023

The prolific producer who has in the past helmed films as dynamic and diverse as Kaante, Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, Chameli and Jhankar Beats, feels it’s time for Indian cinema to go seriously global. “It’s now India’s time. Rajamouli may have opened the gates of the world to a new wave of South Indian cinema emerging as the new craze in the world market. It has already taken India by storm and overshadowed traditional Bollywood. Now there are new worlds to conquer and clearly, Rajamouli is leading the charge. It’s a fantastic moment. Time to celebrate the rediscovery of South Indian cinema as a major art form, and hopefully as a new driver of the content market across the world.”

Subhash K Jha is a Patna-based journalist. He has been writing about Bollywood for long enough to know the industry inside out.

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