Raised in a Gujarati Fijian Indian household, I was raised thinking Hindi-language films were the epitome of Indian entertainment. It's a similar case for many, particularly those from North India or people living in the west. Bollywood is what the western world often associates with Indian cinema, and while it's undeniably a huge industry that trumps Hollywood in terms of the volume of movies produced, it's not the only thing that represents the country's movie business.
Indian cinema is comprised of various languages and Indian cultures, with Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Marathi just a few of the other more prominent film industries in India that rival Bollywood.
Telugu film, RRR's 2023 Golden Globes win was a reminder of this diversity, and understandably a huge moment for South Indians who barely get such global recognition. The film’s popular hit, Naatu Naatu became the first Asian song to receive a Golden Globe, winning the category of ‘Best Original Song’.
It's a catchy track that managed to captivate people across South Asia and beyond, becoming a viral sensation on TikTok due to its fast pace and sensational dance moves performed by the movie's stars, Ram Charan and N.T. Rama Rao Jr.
Accepting the award on stage at the Golden Globes was composer-songwriter M.M. Keeravani, who told Variety earlier that week that the incredible response to Naatu Naatu has been mindblowing.
"I did not guess there would be this kind of response for this song, even in my dreams," he told the publication. "But as a paradoxical statement, it’s a dream coming true."
Below is a round-up of some of the awesome social media reactions highlighting the significance of a Telugu song taking out the big win.
Still unbelievable. A Telugu🤵♂️ standing on International prestigious stage❤️
— BigBoss Telugu Views (@BBTeluguViews) January 12, 2023
Not Hindi not Tamil not Kannada not Malayalam not Bengali not Marathi not Gujarati not Chinese/Japanese not anyone but A Telugu Song💪#SSRajamouli🙏#NaatuNaatu #MMKeeravani
pic.twitter.com/hmqc7HVh12
I love taylor but Naatu Naatu needs to win this, as a South Indian telugu girl this is the representation I’ve been yearning for in American media and so it needs to win
— m (taylor’s version) (@SAVEDBYSWFT) January 11, 2023
#NaatuNaatu winning just proves that south Indian cinema is way more bigger than bollywood in today's time no more a regional industry...
— Mayuresh.gpt (@mayuresh_416) January 11, 2023
STILL SO HAPPY ABOUT NAATU WINNING AT THE GOLDEN GLOBES OMG HOPE IT OPENS DOOR FOR MORE SOUTH INDIAN MUSIC TO BE REPRESENTED IN THE WEST
— sha♡ (@byunsdesire) January 11, 2023