This year’s nominations for the 95th annual Academy Awards were announced recently, where SS Rajamouli’s Telugu film RRR won a nomination for its musical number Naatu Naatu in the Best Original Song category. The song composed by MM Keeravani has inspired audiences to literally dance in the aisles of theaters where it played, and even Anupam Kher is a fan. In a new interview, the veteran actor not only praised RRR and its song Naatu Naatu, but also spoke about The Kashmir Files directed by Vivek Agnihotri, which is out of the Oscars 2023 race now.
Earlier, several films from India had made it to the list of 301 films, which were eligible for nominations at Oscar 2023, including Alia Bhatt-starrer Gangubai Kathiawadi and Rishab Shetty’s Kannada film Kantara. Anupam Kher-starrer The Kashmir Files was also included in the list. Now, Anupam has opened up about his film not being given a nod in the Oscar nominations, and also the tremendous love RRR has received throughout the awards season in Hollywood, thus far.
Speaking about RRR song Naatu Naatu and about what possibly prevented his film The Kashmir Files from getting an Oscar nomination, the actor told Brut India, “If now RRR has won Critics Choice award, and RRR has won the best song at Golden Globes, it is the greatest feeling for Indian cinema. Why should (we) not we celebrate? So, there must be obviously some problem with The Kashmir Files. I am the first person, who sort of tweeted that because I genuinely felt ‘wow the song Naatu Naatu, the whole crowd is dancing on that’. Because till now whatever films that they (western audiences) acknowledged were about poverty of Indians, about some foreigner, who has made a film, whether it is Richard Attenborough or Danny Boyle about Indians (but from a Western outlook). This is the first time a Hindustani film or Telugu film or whatever, an Indian film, has entered the mainstream of cinema.”
Earlier on January 24, after the Oscar 2023 nominations were announced, congratulating the entire team of RRR, Anupam Kher had told, “It’s the greatest news for the Indian cinema. A song from an original Indian cinema has been chosen. I hope this song will win the (Oscars) trophy in this category.” Apart from RRR, All That Breathes and The Elephant Whisperers have also been nominated in the Best Documentary Feature Film and Best Documentary Short Film categories, respectively, for the upcoming Oscars. The 95th Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled to take place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 12, 2023.
