Global blockbuster RRR may be poised to add some more feathers to its cap.
After all, it made history of sorts on Monday, 12 December, by snagging two nominations in the shortlist for the Golden Globe Awards.
One nomination is in the Best Non-English Language Picture category. This was formerly the Best Foreign Language Film category.
The second is in the Best Original Song – Motion Picture category, where the original Telugu song Naatu Naatu is in elite company.
Winning a Golden Globe Award, along with accolades in a handful of other ceremonies, is often considered a major indication that a film or its cast or crew could also win an Academy award, informally known as the Oscar.
We are very grateful to share that #RRRMovie made it to the nominations of #GoldenGlobes for the 𝘽𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙋𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 – 𝙉𝙤𝙣-𝙀𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙇𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙪𝙖𝙜𝙚 & the 𝘽𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙊𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙎𝙤𝙣𝙜. 🔥🌊🤘🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/SNJ09sMlPI
— RRR Movie (@RRRMovie) December 12, 2022
What are the Golden Globe Awards?
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades given in January every year by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA).
It is a non-profit organisation of journalists and photographers who report on the entertainment industry in the US, predominantly outside the country.
They report for media that includes newspapers, magazines and books, television, and radio.
At the beginning of 2022, there were a total of 105 active members of the HFPA, who will vote for their favourite movies and aspects thereof in the 2023 edition of the Golden Globes.
The awards themselves have undergone several changes — including addition, modification, and deletion in categories — since their inception in 1944.
Related: RRR wins Hollywood Critics and Atlanta Critics Circle awards
The competition
In the Best Non-English Language Picture category, RRR is up against German production All Quiet On The Western Front; Argentine offering Argentina, 1985; Belgium, France and the Netherlands’ Close, and South Korean movie Decision to Leave.
On the Best Original Song – Motion Picture front, MM Keeravani-composed Naatu Naatu from RRR rubs shoulders with offerings from the likes of Taylor Swift, Rihanna, and Lady Gaga.
The competition starts off against Carolina from Where The Crawdads Sing, with music and lyrics by by Taylor Swift.
Also in the fray is Ciao Papa from Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio, with music by Alexandre Desplat and lyrics by Roeban Katz and Guillermo Del Toro
As if that was not enough, there is Hold My Hand from Top Gun: Maverick, with lyrics by Lady Gaga and BloodPop as Benjamin Rice lends them a hand in the music-composition department.
And finally, there is Lift Me Up from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever with music and lyrics by Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler, and Ludwig Göransson.
Related: Best Director for Rajamouli at New York Film Critics Circle
What are RRR’s chances?
News organisations across the world have been almost unanimously positive about RRR when it comes to reviews.
And that may be a good portent for RRR, because the pool of voters at the Golden Globe Awards is drawn from them.
Congratulations to the nominees for Best Picture – Non-English Language
✨ All Quiet on the Western Front
✨ Argentina, 1985
✨ Close
✨ Decision to Leave
✨ RRR#GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/DfNs0VQbIs— Golden Globe Awards (@goldenglobes) December 12, 2022
A reason for further hope in the Best Non-English Language Picture category is the Tomatometer at Rotten Tomatoes.
Only about one in 20 critics has anything other than positive to say about the film, which has a “93 percent fresh” rating on the review-aggregator.
Of the other films, Argentina, 1985 is at 98 and Decision To Leave is at 94. Meanwhile, All Quiet On The Western Front and Close are at 91.
Metacritic, another review aggregator, also holds effusive views about RRR.
The film has been branded with a Metacritic Must-See badge, and has a “Metascore” of 83 that is bolstered by “universal acclaim” from reviewers.
Of the other films, only Decision to Leave has a higher Metascore at 84. All Quiet On The Western Front has 76, Argentina, 1985 is at 78, and Close does not appear to have an entry at all.
As for Naatu Naatu, it is ebullient and peppy — what Gen Z or Zoomers would call a “bop”.
Congratulations to the nominees for Best Song – Motion Picture
✨ "Carolina" – Where The Crawdads Sing
✨ "Ciao Papa" – Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
✨ "Hold My Hand" – Top Gun: Maverick
✨ "Lift Me Up" – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
✨ "Naatu Naatu" – RRR#GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/gqG3aWwUjP— Golden Globe Awards (@goldenglobes) December 12, 2022
However, it seems like a far cry from the world-conquering hook of Jai Ho or the viral drawl of Why This Kolaveri Di.
The Naatu choreography may be a world ahead of these two more-than-a-decade-old global sensations, but whether it will become a criterion for RRR’s Golden Globe success is a question that only time and the jury can answer.
