Oscar-winning lyricist Chandrabose won his first National Film Award for Best Lyrics for the song Dham Dham Dham from the 2021 Telugu film Konda Polam. “My only dream was to win a National Award in my life. I didn’t have a vision beyond it. I’ve been manifesting this for the past 12 years and working really hard for it,” he shares.

The lyricist, who won an Academy Award for Naatu Naatu (RRR; 2022) earlier this year, reveals that “he had high expectation” of winning a National Award when he created the music for Rangasthalam 1985 (2018), “but I didn’t. And now, it has finally happened”.

While the 53-year-old is extremely happy about the win, he is surprised he hasn’t been appreciated as much as he expected: “After getting the Oscar, I was flooded with messages. And now that I have won the National Award, only a handful of people congratulated me. My wife asked, ‘Why are media people not calling you?’ [I think] Maybe they are tired of me (laughs) or since several Telugu people have won this time, the attention is divided.”

Chandrabose, however, is celebrating the fact that this recognition, in both the national and international arenas, has greatly benefitted him. “This year has been very fruitful for me. People in the industry now trust my sense of work. They are confident that I will give it my all. A nod by people from across the world has given them an assurance in my abilities and I am now getting a lot of offers,” concludes Chandrabose, dedicating this award to his village for being his “biggest teacher”.

When producer Guneet Monga was cut off midway during her speech after winning an Academy Award, it drew ire. But, a section of internet users also noticed how Chandrabose got just a second or two to speak after lifting the Oscar for Naatu Naatu (Best Original Song). The lyricist, however, has “no complaints”.

He tells us, “Keeravani sir (composer M M Keeravani) was given 45 seconds, but he spoke for 30 and the music started playing. I got just one second to speak. The only word I uttered was ‘namaste’ and that was enough. I always say we don’t need hours to make history; even one second will do.”

But, never in his wildest dreams did Chandrabose imagine the RRR (2022) song would bring India glory on a stage like the Oscars. What made it stand out, he feels, is the “local flavour” it had. “The song has a rural setting. It reflects my childhood and the village I grew up in. It came straight from my heart. Since we incorporated elements of our culture in it, people in the West found it fresh. I believe that’s the definition of art — taking local culture to the global stage,” says the lyricist, who wrote “90% of the song in 45 minutes”.

“It then went to Rajamouli sir (S S Rajamouli, director) for approval. He liked it and passed it on to Keeravani sir to work on the composition. He worked on it for a long time. Sometimes, the lyrics would not fit the tune, or the tune had to be changed to retain the lyrics. After several versions and discussions, the very first tune was locked,” he recalls.

Chandrabose is elated at the overwhelming response the song continues to get from all quarters. Sharing how it is almost like a “mantra” (chant) today, he adds, “Americans, Japanese... everyone is dancing to the song, without understanding the lyrics. It’s like the veda mantra. We may not understand [entirely] what it means, but there is a sort of energy that gets us addicted to it. Everybody connects with the rhyming of words (in Naatu Naatu), the sounds and the phonetics of it,” says the lyricist, who has also penned songs for the film Pushpa: The Rise (2021), besides several other projects.

S S Karthikeya, line producer and son of director S S Rajamouli, recently set the record straight on the controversy surrounding the promotion of RRR ahead of the Oscars. In a recent interview, he clarified that the team spent Rs. 8.50 crore on promoting the film in the US, not the Rs. 80 crore claimed by filmmaker Thammareddy Bharadwaj.

Before the Oscars, there was a massive controversy following Thammareddy Bharadwaj’s allegation that “the team spent Rs. 80 crores” on promoting the film in the US. This led to criticism casting aspersions about the legitimacy of RRR’s Oscar campaign.

Karthikeya shot back at the critics saying, “We didn’t have a huge studio backing us like some of the other nominees in the race, so everything came out of our pocket. Our initial plan was to spend Rs. 5 crores to generate interest in the film. We divided the campaign into three phases and spent Rs. 2.5-3 crores just in the first phase.”

Karthikeya explained that the money went towards social media campaigns, email blasts, paper advertisements, and most importantly, screenings in New York and Los Angeles.

Karthikeya said, “We had two PR teams in New York and one in Los Angeles ensuring we were getting good press coverage. The second phase was the nominations, and though we thought we could wrap it up in under Rs. 6 crores, it cost us Rs. 8.5 cores in total.”

Clarifying that the team did buy tickets to the Oscars, Karthikeya said, “Mr NTR, Mr Ram Charan, Prem Rakshith, Kaala Bhairava, Rahul Sipligunj were invitees. Keeravaani babai and Chandrabose garu were the nominees. For the rest of us, the nominees had to write an email to the Academy, requesting them to let us attend. We bought tickets on the lower level for $1500 each and on top for $750 each.”

Karthikeya added, “RRR became so huge, it became a phenomenon. But thinking we could buy an Oscar is a joke, it’s a 95-year-old credible institution. You can’t buy the audience’s love or what Steven Spielberg or James Cameron said about the movie. They’ll say what they want to say. ”

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Ever since the team behind the film RRR (2022) returned from the Academy Awards, reports about them having spent Rs. 80 crore on the Oscars campaign have been doing the rounds. Addressing these in a recent interview, filmmaker S S Rajamouli’s son, producer SS Karthikeya, said, “An Oscar can’t be bought. People’s love can’t be bought.”

In a conversation with Galatta Plus, he explained that makers spend on a campaign to get their films noticed. But, the amount being reported wasn’t accurate. “We wanted to wrap up things in Rs. 5 crores. But we ended up spending Rs. 8.5 crores on the campaign. Special screenings were arranged in a couple of cities in the USA. We thought we needed more shows in New York, where we were lagging behind,” he said.

There were also reports about the team spending $2,500 to attend the Oscar ceremony. On how much was actually spent, Karthikeya clarified, “People like Ram Charan, Jr NTR (actors), Prem Rakshit (choreographer), Kaala Bhairava, Rahul Sipligunj (singers), MM Keeravani (composer) and Chandrabose (lyricist) were officially invited. Each of these nominees have a few seats that they can accommodate for people they’d like to bring. But, they have to send out a mail to the Academy and tell them who they’re bringing along. So, there are classes of seats and they have to be paid for. We paid around $1,500 per seat in the lower level and $750 per seat for the top level. That’s about it.”

RRR, which earned over Rs. 1,200 crores globally during its theatrical run, is the first Indian production to bag an Oscar for Best Original Song.

India’s recent twin triumphs at the 95th Academy Awards was a historic moment, and so was witnessing the team of the Telugu action drama RRR (2022) erupt into joy upon winning the Oscar for Best Original Song for Naatu Naatu.

However, it has now emerged that the film’s director S S Rajamouli had to pay Rs. 20 lakhs per ticket to attend the Oscars live at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, and so did the film’s lead pair Ram Charan and Jr NTR.

As is the tradition, the only members of the team who received invites to attend the event were Naatu Naatu composer M M Keeravani and lyricist Chandrabose. The 49-year-old filmmaker, who was at the Oscars night along with his wife and son, also purchased invites worth $25,000 each for the rest of the team that attended the event.

The information has drawn sharp reactions from fans on social media, who have expressed their surprise at the film’s team not being given a pass, while some are also upset that everyone in the team, except Keeravani and Chandrabose, were seated in rows towards the end.

The Elephant Whisperers, a Tamil language documentary short, directed by docu filmmaker Kartiki Gonsalves and produced by Guneet Monga, created history at the 95th Oscars by becoming the first Indian film produced by an Indian production to win an Academy Award in the Best Documentary Short Film category. The heartwarming documentary follows an ageing couple Bomman and Bellie — in South India, who foster orphaned elephants. The film shows how they co-exist with nature and share their space and home with lost elephants, who they raise as their own children.

Overwhelmed with joy, and now back in India, Guneet Monga exclusively spoke to Bombay Times after the massive victory. Excerpts...

It will take time for all this to sink in. It feels like a beginning of a new chapter for Indian cinema. This is the first Oscar for an Indian production. My team and I are thrilled to have represented India on a global stage. We are grateful for all the love that this story of indigenous people, an orphan baby elephant Raghu and the caretakers Bommon and Bellie, have received. This documentary touched the hearts of audiences worldwide. It’s a huge honour for us and I dedicate this award to our beautifully diverse country, India. I am glad to be able to serve this vision of bringing women filmmakers to the forefront while winning nothing short of an Oscar.

It was majestic to witness the live performance of Naatu Naatu and watch the song win an Oscar for India. I was almost dancing in my chair and I’m proud that we could share this moment and global stage with S S Rajamouli sir, M M Keeravani, Chandrabose, Ram Charan and Jr NTR. I’d also like to mention that I’m proud of Shaunak Sen’s All That Breathes. The film may not have won, but Shaunak is one of the most promising filmmakers to look out for from India. All three nominations made 2023 a glorious year for India at the Oscars.

I am in awe of Michelle Yeoh’s speech (who won the Best Actress award), especially when she said, “Ladies, don’t let anybody tell you that you are past your prime.” I think she spoke for every woman in the world.

I was very disheartened about my speech being cut off. There was shock on my face. I just wanted to say it’s India’s first Oscar in Indian production, which is such a huge thing. My heart started racing as I couldn’t reach so far and not be heard. Western media is pulling up the Academy that I did not get to speak. There are also tweets and videos online expressing disappointment over it. This was India’s moment taken away from me. But then, I thought it’s okay, I will come back here and I will make sure I am heard. I have got multiple opportunities to share my thoughts and it’s heartening to receive all the love.

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History was made at the 95th Academy Awards when The Elephant Whisperers (2022) produced by Guneet Monga and directed by Kartiki Gonsalves, won the Best Documentary Short Film statuette. The 41-minute documentary narrates the tale of an orphaned elephant calf, Raghu, put in the care of mahouts, Bomman and Bellie. The Oscar win brought focus to the care of elephants and made the world stand up and take notice of Indian stories, including her film, which has paved the way for change, says Monga. 

Elaborating on how the victory created a positive impact for the welfare of elephants in Tamil Nadu, says, “We witnessed the power of storytelling after the win. The state government announced Rs. 1 lakh from the CM Relief Fund for each of the 91 elephant caretakers in the two camps of the state, as a token of appreciation. It also allocated Rs. 9.1 crores to build homes for mahouts and Rs. 5 crores has been allotted to develop an elephant camp in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve. CM MK Stalin has also felicitated Bommon and Bellie.” Happy with the difference she has managed to make, Monga adds, “We will continue to tell stories that matter and stories that make a difference.” 

What makes this award more special for Monga is the fact that “two women won it”. She shares, “I’m so proud and honoured that Kartiki (who debuted with the film) and I were the only two women representing India at the Oscars this year and won the first award for an Indian production. This is historic and a message for my fellow women.” 

Sharing the joy of witnessing fellow artistes make India proud on the Oscars stage, Monga tells us, “It was majestic to witness the live performance of Naatu Naatu (RRR, 2022) and win an Oscar. I’m so proud that we could share this moment with S S Rajamouli sir, MM Keeravani, Chandrabose, Ram Charan and Jr NTR.”

Acknowledging Shaunak Sen, Monga adds, “I’m so proud of All That Breathes (2022). The film may not have won, but Shaunak is one of the most promising filmmakers from India to look out for. All three nominations made 2023 a glorious year for India at the Oscars.”