Critics noted the Oscar-winning number was staged by non-Indian choreographers or background dancers
Following “Naatu Naatu”s historic Oscar win for Best Original Song the live performance at Sunday’s performance has come under fire for its exclusion of South Asian choreographers and ensemble dancers.
Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava, who recorded the song for the “RRR” soundtrack, sang onstage alongside two lead dancers in place of stars Ram Charan and N.T. Rama Rao Jr. The telecast recreated the scene from the film in which their characters, Ram and Bheem, face off against a large party of white Brits using the power of Telugu dance.
Critics pointed out that the performance was choreographed by “So You Think You Can Dance” duo Napoleon and Tabitha D’umo, neither of whom are of Indian descent. Nor did the ensemble prominently feature dancers of South Asian descent, a missed opportunity for wider representation, critics said. (The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences did not respond to TheWrap’s inquiry about how many dancers were of South Asian descent; a representative told IndieWire it would be “incorrect” to say that there were few, if any, without clarifying further.
