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.

Few get the opportunity to be associated with an Academy Award-winning project. Fewer get the chance to say that they performed live at the Oscars, before the crème de la crème of the global film fraternity. For 33-year-old Rahul Sipligunj both these dreams were realized when he rendered the Oscar-winning Naatu Naatu at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre, only a week ago. 

“I’m evidently overwhelmed. To perform on that stage and earn appreciation from the biggest celebrities from across the globe was truly a dream come true,” beams the singer, who sang the original song along with Kaala Bhairava. 

“When we landed [in LA], we rehearsed for four days. We were excited to recreate the scene from the film, even though we missed the presence of our two stars [RRR leading men, Ram Charan and Jr NTR] on stage. The audience loved our energy.”

Sipligunj is evidently revelling in the attention that M M Keeravaani’s composition has been receiving since it found a place among the Oscar nominees in the Best Original Song category. However, getting his name on the film’s credit roll was indeed a chase to the finish line. He recalls being given the “tune and lyrics” of the song, which he rendered despite being unaware of the project it was to be employed for.

“The song was in the making for a year-and-a-half. Either the lyrics, or its [tempo] would be changed. As and when the iterations would be made, Kaala and I would have to return to sing the [new version]. M M Kreem sir would always tell me, ‘[Yours] is not the final voice. We’re only trying this song with you. We don’t know the future.’ So, I was [persuaded] to keep giving my best and rendering it with energy. This was the song that would see the two stars perform together. It was the only massy song in the film. So, it required all the energy that we could deliver. I was nervous until I was told that mine would be the final voice,” recalls the singer, who says his fans in the Telugu industry usually admire him for his independent music.

“I was a reality show winner, so people love listening to my independent music, which has also [got a boost after this win]. As of now, I want to go with the flow. If I get the opportunity to sing in another language, I will take it up. I’ve worked on my next [album], which will be released in all four languages that I sang this RRR song in, that is Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, and Hindi,” he says, expressing his gratitude for Keeravaani’s faith and director S S Rajamouli’s vision that led to the film earning acclaim from international audiences.

Monday morning would have commenced unusually for film aficionados in India. Abreast with the knowledge that three Indian films were competing for top titles at the world’s biggest film awards night, movie buffs would have kicked off their day groggily browsing through their phones to learn if we indeed did clinch an Oscar. The country won not one, but two titles, making this event a historic one for Indian cinema.

At the 95th Academy Awards, S S Rajamouli’s RRR took home the Best Original Song title for MM Keeravaani’s composition, Naatu Naatu. The dance number that became an anthem of sorts in India, acquired international acclaim after RRR began to pick up titles across international galas, this year.

Guneet Monga and Kartiki Gonsalves’s The Elephant Whisperers earned the country its second Academy Award this year, making this the first Indian production to win an Oscar.

RRR presenter Jayantilal Gada tells mid-day, “The Oscars is always the dream and the ultimate goal [for filmmakers]. We are humbled and grateful to Rajamouli ji for partnering with us. The film has made India so proud. I congratulate the entire team.”

Gonsalves and Monga dedicated their win in the Best Documentary Short category to India. The Netflix offering about the unbreakable bond between an abandoned elephant and its caretakers earned Monga her second Oscar after Period. End of Sentence. The 2019 film also earned her a title in the same category.

“I stand here to speak of our connection with the natural world, for the respect of indigenous communities, and empathy towards other living beings we share a space with,” Gonsalves said, dedicating the win to her “motherland, India”.

Monga, who graced the stage in a pink Banarasi saree, said in a statement, “This is an incredibly powerful and historical moment. We, as two women from India, stood on that global stage making this historic win. An independent production house from India has made history to be the first ever Indian film by an Indian production to win an Oscar. My heart is racing with all the joy, love, and excitement in the moment. Today I can say, the future for Indian cinema is audacious, the future is here and not to forget, the future is truly female.”

The first song from an Indian film to win in the Best Original Song category, Naatu Naatu was pitted against the works of heavyweights like Lady Gaga, and Rihanna, both of whom performed their nominated songs, Hold My Hand, and Lift Me Up, at the gala. The energetic performance to Naatu Naatu, which saw singers Kaala Bhairava and Rahul Sipligunj sing live on stage, emerged to be the talking point of the night after it brought the audience to its feet.  

Team RRR was also lauded for celebrating Indian culture with their ensembles at the big night. While Rajamouli took to the stage in a traditional dhoti and mauve silk kurta, leading men Ram Charan and Jr NTR wore attires with statement embroidery that was reminiscent of their characters. In an acceptance speech that was as joyful as it was heart-touching, Keeravaani, who had grown up consuming the music of American duo, The Carpenters, serenaded the audience with his take on their song, Top of the world. “RRR has to win, pride of every Indian, and must put me on the top of the world (sic),” the man of the moment sang. 

The big winner of the night was an American film about a Chinese immigrant. It appeared that every second win was awarded to Everything Everywhere All At Once, which took home seven of the eleven trophies it was nominated for. The biggest titles of the night, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Lead Actress,  Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Editing, were awarded to the Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert directorial venture. It became the most-awarded film since 2008’s Slumdog Millionaire, which earned eight titles in 2009. 

In his celebrated comeback of sorts to Hollywood, Brendan Fraser won the top nod in the acting category for The Whale, which sees him as a morbidly obese teacher who tries to restore his relationship with his teenage daughter. “I started in this business 30 years ago and things didn’t come easily to me. I want to say thank you,” he said.

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Jr NTR, SS Rajamouli and Ram Charan pay homage to India with their attires

Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga

The year has begun on a high note for the Indian film music industry as RRR’s Naatu Naatu, which has bagged a spot in the top five nominees in the Original Song category at the Oscars, has also won Best Original Song at Golden Globes and Critic’s Choice Awards. The song was sung by Kaala Bhairava (composer M M Keeravani’s son) and Rahul Sipligunj.

Kaala Bhairava, who is thrilled with the Oscar nomination, recalls the moment the Golden Globe win was announced. He says, “When we got to know that Naatu has won the Best Original Song at the Golden Globe, we were jubilant. I was watching the event live with my family at our home in the US. We were watching it like it was an ongoing World Cup cricket match where there was just the last ball left for India to win!”

The song was created painstakingly. “Naatu Naatu took two-and-a-half years to create. We felt there was scope for improvement in the process of music production. Once the song was shot, we felt we could enhance it further, so we went back to the studio and worked on it some more. Due to all this, the song took so long to create.”

In Baahubali: The Beginning (2015), Kaala Bhairava had sung the duet Khoya Hain with Neeti Mohan. The singer says, “I have grown up listening to Bollywood songs and have loved them. Earlier, I would often listen to songs composed by Pritam sir and Shankar-Eshaan-Loy and Amit Trivedi sir. These composers made up most of my playlists.”

Kaala Bhairava believes that the goal of an artiste should be to be recognized for their original work. “The best thing we can do is to try to be as original as possible and stick to our uniqueness because there is no point in trying to imitate something in order to be successful or in order to sell our work. Being yourself and being recognized for it is the best thing and you can’t compare that feeling with anything else,” he signs off.