Will RRR’s ‘Naatu Naatu’ make history? A look at India’s tryst with the Oscars

It is award season in Hollywood and India is all set to steal to show – or so we hope. The country has scored three nominations for the 95th Academy Awards, the Oscars – Best Original Score (RRR’s  “Naatu Naatu”), Best Documentary Feature Film (Shaunak Sen’s All That Breathes), and Best Documentary Short Film (The Elephant Whisperers).

“Naatu Naatu”, the song from the Telugu superhit RRR, is a favourite at award ceremonies, having bagged a Golden Globe and a Critics’ Choice Award. It will be up against works by global stars Lady Gaga and Rihanna.

While this is exciting news, Indian movies did not get a nomination in three categories it was hopeful about: Best International Feature category for The Last Film Show or Chhello Show, Best Picture for RRR, and Best Director for SS Rajamouli (RRR).

India has had more misses than hits at the Oscars but the awards that it has won continue to be revered even today. We take a look at the country’s history at the world’s most talk-about entertainment awards.

India’s first Oscar

In 1983, Bhanu Athaiya made history, becoming the first Indian to bag the Academy. She won the award for Best Costume Design for her work in Gandhi (1982), the historical drama based on the life of Mahatma Gandhi. It was shared with John Mollo.

Upon winning the award, Athaiya said the win was “too good to believe,” before thanking director Richard Attenborough for “focusing world attention on India”.

Born in Maharashtra’s Kolpahur, Athiya wanted to become an artist but later, she thought costume design was a more practical option. In a career spanning nearly six decades, Athaiya worked in 100 films. She made her debut in Raj Khosla’s C.I.D. (1956) and went on to work on iconic movies such as Pyaasa (1957), Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962), Guide (1965), among others. One of the last films she was associated with was Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Swades (2004).

Also read: How Bhanu Athaiya, India’s first Oscar winner, changed the landscape of costume designing in the country

Athaiya won two National Awards for Gulzar’s Lekin (1990) and Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan.

When Satyajit Ray accepted an Oscar from a hospital bed

The Oscars are considered the highest honour in cinema and it was only befitting when Satyajit Ray, one of India’s most proclaimed filmmakers, was awarded one. At the 64th Academy Awards in 1992, Ray was given an Honorary Award for his lifetime of achievement in filmmaking.

However, Ray was ill and hospitalised in Kolkata and could not fly to Los Angeles for the ceremony. However, a video message from him was played at Dolby Theatre after Audrey Hepburn announced the award. She described his work as a “rare mastery of the art of motion pictures and his profound humanism which has had an indelible influence on filmmakers and audiences throughout the world”.

In the video, Ray was seen lying on a hospital bed with the golden statuette held in his hand. “It’s an extraordinary experience for me to be here tonight to receive this magnificent award, certainly the best achievement of my moviemaking career,” he said.

Also read: Ray-esque | Throwback to thirty years ago when Satyajit Ray became the first Indian to receive the Oscar award

Speaking about the impact of American cinema on his career, Ray said, “I have learnt everything about the craft of cinema from the making of American films. I’ve been watching American films very carefully over the years and I love them for how they entertain and then later, loved them for what they taught… so I express my gratitude to the American cinema, towards the Motion Picture Association who has given me this award and who made me feel so proud.”

Less than a month after Ray received the Oscar, Ray passed away on 23 April 1992 at the age of 70. Until today, he is the only Indian to have received that award.

Ray was also given the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour in 1992.

Resul Pookutty’s sound of magic

Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, a drama about the life of a Mumbai street child, stole the show at the 2009 Oscar awards, winning in eight of the ten categories it was nominated in.

Among the winners was Indian sound designer Resul Pookutty. He won the award for Best Sound Mixing along with British counterparts Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke for their work in the film.

A beaming and emotional Pookutty dedicated his award to billions of Indians. “I dedicate this award to my country. This is not just a sound award but a piece of history that has been handed over to me,” he said.

“I come from a country and civilisation that gave the world the word that precedes silence and is followed by more silence. That word is Om,” he added.

That year, Pookutty also won a BAFTA (British Academy Film Awards) for Best Sound. He also won a National Award for the 2009 Malayalam film Keralavarma Pazhassiraja.

Kerala-born Pookutty is a graduate of Pune’s prestigious Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). He has worked across the Indian film industry. Some of the big Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu movies include Ra.One (2011), Highway (2014), the Rajinikanth-starrer Kochadaiiyaan (2014) and Pushpa: The Rise (2021).

Making history with AR Rahman

There is no one quite like AR Rahman, known popularly as the “Mozart of Madras”. At the 2009 Oscars, he became the first Indian to win two Academy Awards for his work in Slumdog Millionaire. He bagged the Best Original Song for the catchy number ”Jai Ho” and Best Original Score. Another song from the film ”O Saaya” also won a nomination in the Best Original Song category.

“I am excited a terrified,” the soft-spoken musician said after he won the first Oscar. “The last time I felt like this was during my marriage.”

After winning the second award, he thanked Danny Boyle and the people of Mumbai. “The essence of the film which is about optimism and the power of hope in the lives, and all my life I had a choice of hate and love. I chose love and I’m here. God bless.”

Rahman made his debut in 1992 in Mani Ratman’s Roja for which he won the National Award. In a career spanning more than three decades, he has composed music for Tamil and Hindi movies and continues to be popular.

The quiet genius of Gulzar

It was Pookutty and Rahman who stole the show at the 2009 Oscars. But it is often forgotten that veteran poet and lyricist Gulzar shared the Best Original Song award with Rahman. The lyrics for “Jai Ho” were penned by Gulzar.

A decade after he won the award, Gulzar said, “It was because of AR Rahman the song won the award. Although Sukhwinder Singh also contributed to making the song a hit by putting a lot of energy into it. Overall, I would say we all agree that it was because of the music maestro A R Rahman that the song won the coveted prize.”

In 2010, Gulzar won a Grammy for Best Song for Jai Ho. The evergreen artist has won the National Award on several occasions.

The big misses

A big-ticket film that went to the Oscars was Aamir Khan-starrer Lagaan. It was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 74th Academy Awards but did not win it.

The other films from India nominated in the category were Mother India (1957) and Salaam Bombay! (1988). None of them won.

But this year, India has a good chance to make history at the Oscars. It remains to be seen if “Naatu Naatu” will reverberate in Hollywood on 13 March.

With inputs from agencies

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