Ahead of the 95th Academy Awards, Oscar-winning music composer-singer A R Rahman has said he hopes Naatu Naatu from S S Rajamouli’s RRR (2022) wins an award. The track, composed by M M Keeravani, has been nominated in the Best Original Song category.

“I want Naatu Naatu to win. Any award for any of us will lift India up and the concentration of our culture will become higher,” he said.

When asked if more deserving songs go unnoticed, the 56-year-old said, “For a song to get noticed and [win] an award, you have to first enter the competition. Ultimately, it’s not [about] the awards I am winning, Of course, getting an Oscar or a Grammy is cool, not everybody gets it. The whole world looks up to it. I think more Indians should win it. But, the art is more important.”

Rahman has won two Oscars — Best Original Score for Slumdog Millionaire (2008) and Best Original Song, which he shares with lyricist Gulzar. He is also a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Talking about Indian projects getting Oscar noms, Rahman had said in January, “I thought it (India getting a nomination) would start 10 years back. It’s 12 years late. This should happen every year. We are a country of 1.3 billion people and there are geniuses in every aspect of filmmaking.”