SS Rajamouli decodes RRR’s Naatu Naatu, shooting it at Ukraine’s presidential palace: ‘My favourite shot of the song is…’

Recently, Rajamouli broke down the dance number for the audience in an interview with Vanity Fair. Revealing that the song was shot at the Kyiv presidential palace, the director expressed his gratitude to the Ukrainian community. He then proceeded to reveal what were his instructions to the choreographer.

“What many tend to not notice are the beautiful background dancers, all of them not extras, they are dancers. I was really really surprised with the level of professionalism, I loved working with them. I have worked with choreographer Prem Rakshith before, he has worked with both Charan and NTR Jr as well. He has given the actors a memorable number, suited to their body languages. He had a difficult job as I told him that the song should (look) nice, the steps shouldn’t be too difficult so people can also replicate, and it should suit the style of the actors. You won’t believe this, but Prem came up with more than 100 variations for the hook line of Naatu Naatu, so credit to him,” the filmmaker shared.

Rajamouli said that even though the number looks like a lot of fun, it is actually a fight scene in disguise, adding, “Yes, for the audience it is fun and it is a dance scene, but for the story, it is a fight scene with the English man coming in and instigating them. And because they (Charan and NTR Jr) are both there for a job so they cannot blow their covers and engage in a fist fight.”

Rajamouli also shared that while rewatching the song, he ended up becoming a fan of the background dancers: “I watched the background dancers and I became a fan of them. They not only had to dance but had to act as if they were getting the steps wrong…I always felt that NTR and Charan are exceptional dancers. But I think dance is not about how acrobatic you are, you should feel it and enjoy your dance. Only then can the audience get the enjoyment out of it too.”

Shedding light on the iconic face-off between Charan and NTR’s characters in the end, the director said, “Even though the dance is over, we know that NTR Jr and Ram Charan are two top commercial heroes, and that fans would love to see them go up against one another. They are like ‘ok, we defeated them, what about you and me?'” Rajamouli said that the character Jenny’s reaction at this moment was something that everyone loved on sets too, stating, “This was the shot that everyone really loved, because that was the reaction of the audience as well at that time. I think it is such a hit not just because of its music and dance, but the fact that the entire story of RRR is (encapsulated) within those 10 mins of the dance number,” Rajamouli signed off.

Now, the RRR team, which is currently in the US, are waiting with bated breath for the Oscar ceremony next week, where “Naatu Naatu” has been nominated in the Best Original Song category.

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