this story about “RRR” songwriters MM Keeravani and Chadrabose first appeared in “The Race Begins” issue of awards magazine TheWrap.
The question is quite simple: are voters going to see the Indian movie “RRR”, and in particular the euphoric and extravagant dance sequence to the song “Naatu Naatu”? Because if you watch it, or even watch videos on YouTube where the scene has become a viral sensation, it’s not hard to imagine the song getting the kind of awards attention no song by Indian songwriters has gotten since two AR Rahman songs. from “Slumdog Millionaire” were nominated 14 years ago.
“A few songs over the years have gotten attention, but this was the first to get this kind of international response,” said songwriter MM Keeravani, who co-wrote the insanely catchy percussion track with lyricist Chandrabose. “This response was not anticipated.”
The Telugu song is played during a scene at a regal garden party hosted by the British colonial rulers of India in the 1920s. When a smug Brit ridicules a pair of local men for not knowing how to dance, they erupt into a nearly 10 minute blast of flying feet, snapping braces, and a house-tumbling terpsicorean frenzy every time the movie is shown. “There is a lot of energy flowing and happening,” Keeravani said in what must be called a significant understatement. “The lyrics describe different types of energy and how energy flows, and then you have the high energy beats.”
While the description of the sequence was fairly straightforward in writer-director SS Rajamouli’s script, it grew in writing and shooting. It was a number of taps, but then it escalated,” Keeravani said. “It’s not just a song, it’s quite an experience.”
But that experience was not easy. Keeravani said that she wrote 20 different songs for that point in the script in an attempt to give Rajamouli (who is her cousin) some options. “It was very difficult to focus on a particular tune, so we asked for the opinions of the inner circle of the film. The majority voted for this song and their judgment did not go wrong.”
Choreography, he admitted, played a big part in the song’s success, not just the crazed movements of NT stars Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan, but also the work of the actresses who portrayed young Brits swept away by the infectious Energy. “Some of them were laughing, literally rolling on the ground,” she said. “And some of them were trying those steps. So it became everyone’s experience. The spectators became one with the artists. He created a vibe that made it more than just a song to me.”
And what about those other 19 songs that weren’t chosen? Will they ever see the light of day? “That’s an interesting question,” Keeravani said. “Those 19 songs will be used for some projects, maybe. Most of them will not go to waste. They are just waiting for their release.”
Read more of the Race Begins issue here.
