Naatu naatu: Eat chilli and dance like this

Composer M M Keeravani with the award.

As we in India celebrate the victory of Naatu naatu (dance dance) at the Golden Globes, here are some fun observations about the song.

1 S S Rajamouli’s 'RRR', the film in which it appears, is a spectacularly mounted period drama. Some call it a historical fantasy, and that is not a bad way to describe it. Set in the 1920s, it tells the story of two brave Indians joining forces to overcome impossible odds and defeat their British tormentors. When a villainous white mocks our heroes as lacking in artistry and finesse, they start dancing to an insistent beat that is distinctly south Indian. Not tango, not swing, not flamenco, or anything that the British man challenges the Indians to demonstrate. When the scene transitions from a slow waltz to ‘Naatu naatu’ (‘Desi nautch’ in Hindi), it posits an energetic and folksy Indian answer to Western snobbery. The screenplay is based on the real-life stories of revolutionaries Alluri Seetharama Raju (1897–1924, and played by Ram Charan) and Komaran Bheem (1900-1940, and played by Jr NTR). So yes, some confidence-boosting, subaltern messaging here.

2 Many are saying the song is ordinary, and does not really merit the award. M M Keeravani, known in north India as M M Kreem, has composed music for a series of blockbuster Telugu hits — 'Kshana Kshanam' (1991), 'Gharana Mogudu' (1992), 'Magadheera' (2009) and the 'Baahubali' series (2015 and 2017). His best-known song in Hindi is perhaps 'Tu mile/dil khile' from 'Criminal' (1994). Not many know that he has produced an album of vachanas in Kannada, some of them sung by S P Balasubramanyam. Softer, sentimental numbers, loosely based on Indian ragas, are his forte. Is Naatu naatu deserving? Perhaps, if you look at how it dramatises a dance shoot-out in the film. Is Naatu naatu deserving as a standalone song? Umm. No. Hundreds of songs have appeared in Indian films with this kind of dancy catchiness. The song aims for and achieves a simple appeal, but is it a song that stands out for exceptional composition and rendering? Nope, sorry. Keeravani makes nice tunes, yes, but he isn’t usually pushing the envelope — oh, make that pushing the harmonium — to create experimental and adventurous music. And here’s a bit of trivia: Keeravani is Rajamouli’s cousin, and ‘Naatu naatu’ was shot in Ukraine months before the war began.

3 So what makes ‘Naatu naatu’ so popular? Everyone who has seen the video says it is the hook step that accompanies the chorus. The dancing is vigorous and stylish — choreographer Prem Rakshith came up with at least a hundred hook steps before director Rajamouli okayed one. It took two months of rehearsing and 20 days of shooting to produce the hit. As you can see, a lot has gone into the making of the visuals. You believe the video is superior to the audio? Are you sure? Congratulations, correct answer!

4 Naatu naatu won the Golden Globe in the best Best Original Song category. It beat pop stars Taylor Swift, Rihanna and Lady Gaga to the winning line. So it must be original, right? It is likely it sounded original to Western ears. The British have heard the grieving, beautiful music of Wajid Ali Shah, the nawab of Awadh, whose kingdom they annexed in 1856. Satyajit Ray made Shatranj ke Khiladi, a haunting film about the British and the philosopher king. Thanks to the Indian diaspora in London, they are familiar with Bollywood songs too. The Americans may have heard stray bits of Punjabi and Hindi music, but it is unlikely they have heard the tattoo of the south Indian tamate, or the koothu songs that charm Tamil audiences. To talk of some recent numbers, Rowdy baby (Maari 2), Appadi podu (Ghilli) and Manmatha raasa (Thiruda Thirudi) show how devil-may-care dancing, witty lyrics, and humour can create sensational hits. Ah, so there’s little that can be described as ‘original’ in ‘Naatu naatu’ then? Let’s just say it is another competent number in a genre whose rules are well defined. Right again, sceptical listener!

5 What about the lyrics? ‘Dance like a bull in the dust/Dance like the lead dancer at the village festival’ is flamboyant enough, but the line with the most panache is ‘Dance like you’ve eaten jowar roti with a chilli.’ Now that’s a huge swipe at the whites, who, it is said, run scared when they see the spicy hot curries that India is famous for. Sure, curry restaurants rule London, but an ultimate Indian challenge to a Brit might be, ‘I challenge you to eat this avakaya pickle.’ You challenge us to do the tango? We challenge you to eat our pickles.