Malavika’s Mumbaistan: The Success of Naatu Naatu

In a land with a musical culture as rich and diverse as ours- and with our prodigious talent, leave aside our films- why haven’t we produced mega hits that have had the world singing to our tune? In this regard, RRR and Naatu Naatu’s success at the Golden Globes has brought much hope. Not only has the film and song won in the popularity stakes but it seems to have impressed critics too

To see RRR and its fast-paced and exuberant ‘Naatu Naatu’ receive such popularity and acclaim is exhilarating.

Will Naatu Naatu’s magnificent win herald the much-awaited entry of India into the international mainstream box-office arena in any substantial way? Much depends on the film’s performance and that of the other Indian entries at the soon to be held Oscar awards to indicate if Naatu Naatu’s success is not just a flash in the pan -but signifies a growing trend. (HT Illustration)

For too long, even before Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Parasite showcased how Asian films could capture Western cinema’s biggest (and glitziest platform), there have been questions raised about the Indian film industry’s lack of presence in the international mainstream popular film arena and its abysmal Oscar track record.

Yes, there have been triumphs in-between, such as Bhanu Athaiya for Gandhi and the trio of Pookutty, Rahman and Gulzar for Slumdog Millionaire (both of which could be argued were not Indian films) but these have been regarded as too little and too late, given our size and output.

Of course, this bemoaning is predicated on the fact that we are one of the world’s largest producers of films and it is one of our most obvious soft powers as far as we are concerned. In fact, this general bafflement is compounded when musical successes like Gangnam Style and the K-Pop phenomena have captured popular international charts and imagination. In a land with a musical culture as rich and diverse as ours- and with our prodigious talent, leave aside our films- why haven’t we produced mega hits that have had the world singing to our tune?

In this regard, RRR and Naatu Naatu’s success at the Golden Globes has brought much hope. Not only has the film and song won in the popularity stakes but it seems to have impressed critics too.

But could it be said that we are beating our drums too exuberantly and getting carried away by the joie de vivre of the song itself?

Will Naatu Naatu’s magnificent win herald the much-awaited entry of India into the international mainstream box-office arena in any substantial way? Much depends on the film’s performance and that of the other Indian entries at the soon to be held Oscar awards to indicate if Naatu Naatu’s success is not just a flash in the pan -but signifies a growing trend.

***

What is even more heart-warming about Naatu Naatu’s Golden Globes’ success is that it emerges from Southern India, which has for too long played second fiddle and underdog when it comes to the country’s international film presence.

For too long, we have seen the Mumbai film industry (AKA Bollywood) dominate in these stakes - a great shame when you consider the profusion of talent in regional cinema.

This is not to say that Bollywood has not had its jewels: right from the time of Madhumati and Mother India to Lagaan and Taare Zameen Par (all of which were India’s entries for Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards) Mumbai’s mainstream industry has produced sparklers in the past.

A case in point is Aamir Khan who had three of his films make it as India’s official Oscar entries (the above-mentioned two along with Rang De Basanti) but who came up with one of the year’s biggest croppers with Lal Singh Chaddha, a disappointing remake of Forrest Gump.

In recent times the Mumbai film industry appears to have been mired in a miasma of mediocrity, hijacked by hype and hoopla and appears to have lost its connection with audiences.

In the light of all this, Southern India’s resounding successes with series and films like Bahubali, KGF Pushpa and RRR could not come at a more welcome moment for many such as this writer, who has long advocate that the South has much to offer India; not only in its films and music and stars. But in its culture, spirituality, value systems, lifestyle, intellectual acumen and political thought.

Because for some reason, Southern offerings have embodied a more profound and deeper connection with India and its people, its land and its ethos.

Nothing signifies this as much as the viral portrait of the RRR team taken after winning the Golden Globe for Naatu Naatu.

At a time when Indian stars have pranced and paraded in a series of bizarre ball gowns and imitative ensembles on international red carpets, the quiet dignity of team RRR in their traditional and simple Bandhgala and Kanjeevaram sarees has demonstrated the strength of simplicity and authenticity.

It has shown up the hype and hoopla of Bollywood for what it is and proven once again how the serene and substantial, the graceful and the authentic still count for something in the face of razzmatazz and ballyhoo.

****

Another instance of the appreciation of simplicity and authenticity is the success of Chhello The Last Film Show, India’s official entry for Best Foreign Film at the upcoming Oscars.

The lyrical, slow-moving and immersive paean to the heart and soul of movie-making directed by Pan Nalin is a far cry from the multi big starrer and features an ensemble of unknown faces and fresh talent, a far cry from the run of mill, box office juggernauts of recent times; what’s more, it has received acclaim in India and abroad, with critics calling it a ‘gem that is both rooted and universal’ and ‘visually intoxicating’ and ‘thematically rich’.

So far, with the heady intoxication of Naatu Naatu’s unprecedented win, Chello and its quiet charm have been put on the back burner with RRR dominating the headlines and news cycles. But, if it does fulfil its promise and bags another win for India, this time at the Oscars, not only will it prove that the real, the substantial, the authentic and the deeply -rooted are what win the day, but that a multiverse of rich and varied Indian talent is finally getting its due.