RRR becomes the first south Indian movie to earn two Golden Globe nominations

In what is being hailed as a giant leap for Indian cinema, NTR Jr-Ram Charan-starrer RRR earned two coveted mentions in the 80th Golden Globe Awards nominations list announced on Monday.
Rajamouli’s period action drama has been nominated in two categories: Best Motion Picture — Non-English Language and Best Original Song - Motion Picture for the Telugu track Naatu Naatu.

NTR Jr summed up the mood among the film’s team with his tweet: “Delighted that #RRRMovie has been nominated in two categories at the Golden Globe Awards! Congratulations to all of us... Looking forward.(sic)”

Rajamouli meanwhile thanked the jury and expressed his appreciation for the fans, posting, “Thanks to the jury at @goldenglobes for nominating #RRRMovie in two categories. Congratulations to the entire team...Thanks to all the fans and audience for your unconditional love and support through out. (sic)”

These twin nominations are an acknowledgement of the fact that mainstream Indian cinema has truly arrived on the world stage, reckons Telugu film historian Harikrishna Mamidi. “Never before did an Indian film, much less a Telugu film, get nominated for Golden Globes. This achievement is worth its weight in gold as it’s a bonafide global stamp of approval for mainstream Indian cinema,” he explains.

While the whole of India is rooting for RRR to go all the way, the pan-India blockbuster will face some stiff competition from some pretty illustrious films. German anti-war drama All Quiet on the Western Front, Argentine historical drama Argentina, 1985, Belgian-French-Dutch coming-of-age drama Close and Korean romantic mystery Decision To Leave, are in the running for the Best Picture - Non-English Language award.

In the Best Original Song category, Naatu Naatu, composed by veteran music director MM Keeravani is competing with Carolina (by Taylor Swift from z), Ciao Papa (by Alexandre Desplat from Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio), Hold My Hand (by Lady Gaga, BloodPop and Benjamin Rice from Top Gun: Maverick) and Lift me Up ( by Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Göransson from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever).

Vijayendra Prasad, writer of RRR, isn’t thinking too far ahead though. Speaking to Hyderabad Times, he says, “It’s a phenomenal achievement and I’m extremely proud of it. I didn’t expect this kind of global reception and it’s very heartening to see that the film has resonated with viewers all over the world. This is very gratifying.”