'Naatu Naatu' Makes Oscars History With High-Energy Performance

Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava rocked the Dolby Theatre on Sunday night with their epic performance of the hit sensation "Naatu Naatu."

The singers and a throng of dancers had the entire crowd at the 95th Academy Awards movin' and groovin' after belting out their vocals from the Indian film RRR. The performance, which undoubtedly had all eyes in India glued to their TV sets early Monday morning, earned a rousing ovation following the thrilling dance number.

Later in the evening, "Naatu Naatu" scored an Academy Award for Best Original Song, becoming the first song from an Indian film to win in the category.

RRR has been a global success and a major breakthrough for "Tollywood" -- the popular name for Indian films made in the Telagu language. Earning ₹240 crore (US$30 million) worldwide on its first day, the film recorded the highest opening day earning by an Indian film. To date, the film has grossed more than ₹1,200 crore (US$150 million) worldwide, setting several box office records for an Indian film, including the third highest-grossing Indian film and second highest-grossing Telugu film worldwide.

Ahead of the night's event, RRR star Ram Charan spoke to ET on the red carpet and touched on the song becoming a global sensation.

"I feel it's no more our song," Charan explained. "It's become the public's song. Different age groups, different culture... I don't know if they even understand the lyrics of it, but... they just started to embrace this all over the world, from Japan to U.S."

The 2023 Academy Awards hosted by Jimmy Kimmel airs live on Sunday, March 12 starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC. In the meantime, keep checking back into ETonline.com for complete Oscars coverage including all the night's big winners.

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