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    The Oscar for 'Naatu Naatu' fans the impossible dreams of India's musicians

    A song from the blockbuster Indian film RRR won the Oscar for best song and is now the talk of India's music biz. But will it lift other musicians to — well, not fame but at least financial security?
    by Kamala Thiagarajan Mar 13, 2023 4 minutes
    Art school students in Mumbai finish up a painting of Indian actors N.T. Rama Rao Jr. (left) and Ram Charan of the movie <em>RRR</em>, whose dance song "Naatu Naatu" became the first song from an Indian film to win an Oscar.

    "Do you know naatu? If you don't, you're about to!"

    That's how Bollywood star Deepika Padukone introduced the energetic live performance of the foot-tapping Oscar-nominated song "Naatu Naatu" from the global blockbuster movie RRR at the live ceremony on Sunday night.

    "Naatu Naatu" means "raw" or "rustic" in the local language of Telugu, spoken by some 81 million in southeastern India. The song shot to viral global fame on TikTok and Instagram. And last night, it won the Oscar.

    They're cheering the victory in India.

    For Sameul Kadhiravel, a 30-year-old rapper in Chennai, India, known by his stage name Mc Valluvar, that

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