Ram Charan Breaks Silence on Refusing to Perform ‘Naatu Naatu’ at Oscars: ‘I Was Ready…’

Ram Charan, as opposed to what was reported earlier, said in an interview that he was ready to perform ‘Naatu Naatu’ at Oscars 2023. Here’s what he said.

Ram Charan on not performing Naatu Naatu at Oscars: Actor Ram Charan spoke about not performing his Oscar-winning song ‘Naatu Naatu‘ at the 95th Academy Awards. The dance performance was done by an international troupe, most of them were non-Asians and the academy received immense flak for depriving the South East Asian artistes of this opportunity on a world stage. Now, in an interview, the actor responded to why he didn’t perform his world-famous number on the Oscars stage earlier this week.

Ram Charan, who returned to India on Friday, attended the India Today Conclave where he answered the question about the epic dance performance at the Oscars which received a standing ovation from the crowd. The actor, quite humbly, said he has performed the song at many events and interviews already and he didn’t mind seeing others celebrating it now.

RAM CHARAN SAYS HE WANTED TO DO NAATU NAATU ON OSCARS STAGE

The actor who played the role of Alluri Seetharam Raju in RRR, though mentioned that he was ready to perform ‘Naatu Naatu’ at the Oscars, but something didn’t sit right. He said, “I was ready. I was 100 percent ready to get that call. But, I truly don’t know what happened. Let’s not even talk about it. They were fantastic. The troupe did a better job than us. I have done it so many times, on so many stages, and at different meetings and interviews. It’s our time to relax and enjoy the show while somebody else performs for India.”

Speaking about representing the song everywhere, Ram Charan said it’s so widely popular today that it is not just his song anymore. The actor said, “Different cultures, different age groups… they have taken this (Naatu Naatu). It’s no more our song. It’s India’s song. It’s Janta’s song. It’s the people who have taken us to that carpet.”

Earlier, many artistes including those of Indian origins in the US criticised the Academy for not giving the native Asians any chance to represent ‘Naatu Naatu’ on the stage. Later, in an interview, the organisers said they reached out to both Jr NTR and Ram Charan but they refused to perform on the number at the very last moment for the reasons best known to them.