Racism at Play: Times Now's Goof Up and the Real Reason Behind NTR Jr and Ram Charan's Oscars Performance Decline

At the Oscars ceremony, Indian producer Guneet was refused the opportunity to speak on stage.

Guneet Monga, the woman who achieved the remarkable feat of winning an Oscar for Best Documentary Short for The Elephant Whisperers and bringing pride to her country, was not given the opportunity to speak after the win. While it would have been acceptable if it was a customary practice to allow only one recipient to speak, unfortunately, this was not the case.

Immediately following Guneet Monga's missed opportunity, The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse received the award for Best Animated film, and both British filmmakers, Charlie Mackesy and Peter Baynton, were able to speak on stage. The contrasting aspect was that they were both granted the chance to address the audience. Guneet, who was eagerly anticipating her speech and had her cell phone at the ready, was forced to exit the stage as soon as Kartiki concluded her speech, with the music signaling the end of their time. Both women had to depart from the stage.

Why Ram Charan and NTR Jr did not perform the song on Oscar stage ?

Raj Kapoor, the producer of the Naatu Naatu dance at the Oscars stage, stated that Ram Charan and Jr NTR were asked to perform but declined due to insufficient time to practice the choreography. He explained, "In the final days of February, we were informed of Ram Charan and N.T. Rama Rao Jr.'s attendance at the Oscars, but they were not inclined to do the live performance on stage. This was due to their prior professional obligations and the limited rehearsal time available."

The RRR film's song was practiced for two months and recorded over a 15-day period, whereas the Oscars performance was prepared in Los Angeles with skilled dancers, with 18 hours of rehearsal and a 90-minute shooting session.

TIMES NOW mixes RRR Actor for whistleblower Edward Snowden and  uses his picture in the interview with the actor who was part of the song in the film. 

A video shared by journalist Mohammed Zubair on Twitter depicts Times Now conducting an interview regarding RRR's Oscars victory with the film's actor, Edward Sonnenblic and used the image of Edward Snowden, the former computer intelligence consultant who gained notoriety for disclosing extremely sensitive data from the NSA in 2013 .

Men behind Oscar winning song tells all

Tamil version lyric writer on Keeravani preference of songs

 At the 95th Academy Awards, RRR's Naatu Naatu won the award for Best Original Song. MM Keeravaani, the music composer, accepted the award alongside Chandrabose, who wrote the lyrics for the Telugu version, while the Tamil version's lyrics, titled Naatu Koothu, were penned by Madhan Karky. Madhan expressed his excitement about the historic win, stating that the song was much more than just a song. He praised director Rajamouli's ability to incorporate various elements of a film within the song, such as conflict, oppression, friendship, romance, and sacrifice. Madhan credited SS Rajamouli and Vijayendra Prasad for conceptualizing the song and acknowledged Keeravaani's efforts in composing the music, despite his preference for melodies over peppy numbers. He also praised Chandrabose's raw and rustic lyrics, Prem's choreography, and Ram Charan and Jr NTR's high-spirited dancing for contributing to the song's success. Madhan concluded by expressing his happiness about the achievement.

Keeravani and The Carpenters reference in acceptance speech

In an unusual twist, numerous media organizations misinterpreted Keeravani's speech and confused his reference to The Carpenters with actual professional carpenters. Some even published headlines such as 'Keeravani's musical inspiration came from carpenters'. This has resulted in severe backlash on social media, with many calling for the media to exercise greater responsibility.

The acceptance speeches of Oscar winners often attract a lot of attention, ranging from emotional to awkward. In 2009, AR Rahman made history as the first Indian composer to win an Oscar, and he ended his speech with the famous Tamil phrase, "Ella Pugazhum Iraivanukke," which means "All perfect praise belongs to God alone." It was a moment of pride for Indians worldwide, as Rahman chose to speak in his mother tongue on such a prestigious international stage.

Recently, when the song "Naatu Naatu" from the Indian production RRR won the Best Original Song award, all eyes and ears were on composer MM Keeravani's speech. The veteran musician gave his own version of "Top of the World," a classic by the American band The Carpenters, saying, "I grew up listening to The Carpenters, and now here I am with the Oscars," before playfully starting to sing.

Yazin who sung the Tamil and Malayalam version talks about the win

Yazin Nizar, the singer for the Tamil and Malayalam renditions of the song, is overjoyed by the historic victory. He expressed, "I am thrilled for Keeravani sir. He has dedicated so many decades to his craft, and it is truly satisfying to witness him receive recognition on the esteemed platform of the Oscars."

Although almost two years have passed, Yazin vividly recalls the recording sessions and the guidance he received from director SS Rajamouli. "During the recording of 'Naatu Koothu', the Tamil rendition of 'Naatu Naatu', Rajamouli sir was present. At first, when I sang, there was a bit of a rough feel to it. He approached me and advised me to sing with more power. I understood the reason behind his meticulousness when I saw the stunning energy in the visuals. That's one thing about these professionals, they consistently exceed our expectations," says Yazin, who previously collaborated with the same team on the Malayalam version of Baahubali 2.

Rahul Sipligunj, who recently performed the Oscar award-winning Naatu Naatu at the Academy Awards ceremony, met  global pop star Rihanna.The single "Lift Me Up" by Rihanna, from the movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, received a nomination in the Best Original Song category. During the awards ceremony held on Sunday night, Rihanna also performed her song.

Rahul expressed his excitement on social media after meeting the Barbadian singer, stating, "I am in awe after meeting an amazing lady with a beautiful heart. Rihanna, your humbleness and down-to-earth personality left me in shock! Thank you for your call and appreciation for our performance and our Oscar win. It's an emotional moment for me, a dream come true."

Apart from his singing career, Rahul Sipligunj is all set to make his acting debut in Krishna Vamsi's upcoming movie, Rangamarthanda, where he will be appearing alongside Shivatmika Rajashekar. Rangamarthanda is the official Telugu remake of the Marathi movie Natsamrat (2016) and features Brahmanandam, Prakash Raj, and Ramya Krishnan in pivotal roles.