'Naatu Naatu' at Oscars opened doors for Indian dance worldwide: Lauren Gottlieb

Dancer-actress Lauren Gottlieb said performing on the song ‘Naatu Naatu’ from the blockbuster ‘RRR’ at the Oscars was a powerful moment that boosted global visibility for Indian dance. She feels it marked a historic shift in recognition of Indian culture and hopes it paves the way for more global appreciation.

Asked what impact her Oscars performance had on the global recognition of Indian dance, Lauren told a top news agency: “Visibility is everything. As massive as Bollywood already is, with its global reach and dedicated audience, there are still so many people who hadn’t experienced something like ‘RRR’ or ‘Naatu Naatu’ until that moment.

“So, to bring that energy and culture and that kind of Indian dance to the Oscars stage was a huge visual treat for anyone seeing it for the first time,” she added.

Lauren also spoke about ‘Naatu Naatu’ winning ‘Best Original Song’ at the 95th Academy Awards. “And the fact that 'Naatu Naatu' won ‘Best Original Song’? That was such a powerful, historic moment. I couldn’t be more proud to have been part of it. It felt like a real shift in recognition for Indian cinema and dance and I hope it opens the door even wider for more stories, more artists and more celebration of our culture on global platforms,” she said.

The song ‘Naatu Naatu’ made history as it went on to win the Oscar for ‘Best Original Song’.

‘RRR’ is an epic historical action-drama film directed by SS Rajamouli. The film stars NTR Jr and Ram Charan as fictionalised versions of Indian revolutionaries Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitarama Raju. The film also stars Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, Shriya Saran and Olivia Morris among many others. The film serves as a fictional tribute to the revolutionaries and their fight against oppression.