Why Jr NTR and Ram Charan did not perform Naatu Naatu at the Oscars

It is now officially revealed that Jr NTR and Ram Charan –the actors of RRR – were invited to perform the Naatu Naatu song live at the Oscars, but the duo was “not comfortable” dancing on stage owing to the limited duration to rehearse, and their other film commitments back home. In an interview with A Frame, a digital magazine by the Academy, choreographer Raj Kapoor who produced the live performance of the song revealed this and all that went into the making of Naatu Naatu on the Oscars stage. The interview was published on the A Frame website on Tuesday, March 14. 

 The Naatu Naatu song from SS Rajamouli’s RRR won the Oscars in the Best Original Song category, and music composer M M Keeravani and lyricist, Chandrabose received the award on the Oscar stage. Following this, playback singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava (also the son of MM Keeravani) performed live at the awards on March 12. 

Answering a question about the Naatu Naatu live performance, Raj Kapoor said, “Originally, the two leads (Ram Charan and Jr NTR) were going to be the stars of the number alongside singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava.” However, that did not happen. Elaborating on the same, Raj Kapoor narrated that in late February, Ram Charan and Jr NTR informed that they would be attending the Oscars, but the duo did not feel comfortable performing the live number on stage. “The change was brought on because of their professional commitments and the limited time to rehearse,” he added. 

For the live performance, the Oscars team roped in one of the biggest dance agencies in Los Angeles. Prem Rakshith, the original choreographer of Naatu Naatu, provided them with video guidance. While the original number was shot for a period of 15 days in Ukraine, for the Naatu Naatu live performance at the Oscars, the dancers practiced for a total of 18 hours.