The 95th Academy Awards were a spectacle of Asian excellence, setting the bar higher for both authentic representation and the expectations of Asian parents. “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (2022)swept the awards (giving us some heartfelt speeches and Michelle Yeoh’s historic win), “The Elephant Whisperers” (2022)and “RRR” (2022)bagged awards and Deepika Padukone presented; the film industry has come far from the days of Mr. Yunioshi and “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” (1984). However, this does not mean that the Oscars’ mistakes could hide behind the glamor of the golden statue.
“RRR”’s historic win for “Naatu Naatu” was a significant moment for Indian cinema at large. The extremely successful South Indian film industry does not receive as much international recognition as its Mumbai-based counterpart (Bollywood), and this is one of the first steps towards its wider acknowledgement. This win is especially significant as the song offers representation of the Telugu language and is authentic at heart. However, “Naatu Naatu”’s win was slightly overshadowed by a glaring lack of South Asian dancers at its Oscars performance. This is especially ironic considering the context of the song in “RRR,” where the two protagonists perform to prove to the British that Indians do indeed have a sense of culture.
Many took to social media to express their dissatisfaction, such as choreographer Achinta S. McDaniel.
“WE HAVE PLENTY OF BROWN PROFESSIONAL DANCERS - we don’t need a white savior,” she wrote in a post on Instagram. In an interview with Variety, McDaniel elaborated that equal opportunities are important for representation in dance: “Some people say, ‘just be happy with what we got’ and that’s part of [the problem] – the idea of just accepting the scraps that are thrown to you.”
Nappytabs, the company that choreographed the performance, first cited issues such as time constraints and dance experience as reasons before responding dismissively when pressed via Instagram.
Oscars producer Raj Kapoor said that casting was “open to any ethnicity to help honor the global impact of this song.”
Navya Sammeta, a first-year student at Tufts, shared her thoughts on “Naatu Naatu”’swin with the Daily.
“For me, as a Telugu-speaking person who was born in India ... I feel like there [are] a lot of great movies that come out of Indian cinema. And I think the world definitely deserves to see them and it was just great to have representation, a movie with characters speaking my language that was on the Oscars stage,” she said. “I hope that this win will let people actually watch the movie and appreciate the actual themes.”
Sammeta also commented on the notable absence of South Asian dancers at the performance.
“It just seemed very hypocritical for ‘Naatu Naatu,’ which got very popular because of its dance, and because of the main leads’ dance, who are both South Asians.” she said. “They didn't even do the bare minimum.”
“The Elephant Whisperers” became the first Indian production to win the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film. Directed by Kartiki Gonsalves and produced by Guneet Monga’s (one of the first Indian producers to be inducted into the Academy) Sikhya Entertainment, the film follows Bellie and Bomman, an Indigenous couple in Mudumalai National Park in Tamil Nadu (a state in South India), as they raise two elephant calves, Raghu and Ammukutty. The documentary is a heartfelt initiative that shines a light on the harmonious relationship between Indigenous peoples and nature in India and will undoubtedly leave one with some jumbo-sized (pun intended) feelings.
In her speech, Gonsalves thanked Bomman and Bellie “for sharing their sacred tribal wisdom” (albeit the two could have been acknowledged in a better way), and stated that she stood for “the respect of Indigenous communities and empathy towards other living beings we share our space with.” However, when Monga approached the mic, she was cut off by the music, a slight that did not go unnoticed. It is disappointing to see that, even when South Asians achieve milestones such as these, they are disrespected, raising questions about prevalent double standards. Nevertheless, Monga did get the opportunity to say her piece later, and proclaimed, “This is for my beautiful, diverse country, India. To women who want to tell stories, the future of cinema is audacious, the future is here.”
Bollywood superstar Deepika Padukone introduced the “Naatu Naatu”performance, describing the song as a “total banger” with “electrifying beats and killer dance moves.” Padukone, whose career spans 17 years and includes some of 21st-century Bollywood’s most culturally impactful movies, is currently one of the industry’s most famous faces. In an interview before the show, Padukone talked about the exhilaration of attending the Oscars and called “RRR”’srecognition just the tip of the iceberg. “It’s definitely an exciting time for Indian cinema,” she said. To see someone like Padukone be her authentic self at Hollywood’s most prestigious awards show was truly a powerful moment for the Indian community.
The night of March 12 proved that while progress has been made to create a space for authentic Asian creative expression, there is still a need, and more importantly, a greater scope for progress. The 95th Oscars should be remembered as both a benchmark for achievement and a reminder that there is still more work to be done.
