The Indian movie "RRR" achieved a historic win at the Academy Awards as it clinched the Best Original Song Oscar for "Naatu Naatu." However, the performance of the song during the awards ceremony was criticized by South Asian creators because of the absence of South Asian performers in the cast. None of the 20 dancers who appeared on stage were of South Asian origin, and the team responsible for choreography and production neglected to include South Asians in the ensemble and lead roles.
The performance was directed and choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon D'uomo (also known as NappyTabs), who are not Indian. Telugu actors N.T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan, who play the lead roles in "RRR," did not take part in the performance. Instead, the two main characters were portrayed by American Jason Glover and Canadian Billy Mustapha, who are not of South Indian descent. Furthermore, South Asian dancers were not included in the performance.
Critics contend that this performance could have provided an opportunity to give South Asians representation on the biggest stage in Hollywood, but that chance was missed. The Oscars this year were focused on Asian representation, but the lack of Indian representation in the "Naatu Naatu" dance performance was glaring.
