“Jai Hind” And Other Messages From India’s Oscar Winners

Over the weekend, India created history at the Oscars by winning not one but two top honours. RRR’s Naatu Naatu won the Best Original Song award, while The Elephant Whisperers won in the Best Documentary Short Subject category. India’s stellar performance at the 95th Academy Awards has placed the spotlight on the talent behind the wins – music composer MM Keeravaani and lyricist Chandrabose of RRR, and The Elephant Whisperers’ producer Guneet Monga and director Kartiki Gonsalves. Days after the event, the official Instagram page of the Academy shared two fun videos. In the clips, the artists are seen writing messages on a glass frame. MM Keeravaani and Chandrabose wrote the words, “Jai Hind [smile emoji].” While MM Keeravaani wrote “Jai” in English, Chandrabose wrote “Hind” in Telugu. For the unversed, Naatu Naatu is a Telugu language song from SS Rajamouli’s RRR starring Ram Charan and Jr NTR in the lead roles. The caption read: “Jai. This year’s Best Original Song winner’s Chandrabose and MM Keeravaani (“Naatu Naatu” from RRR).”

Naatu Naatu beat a list of hugely popular numbers such as Lady Gaga’s Hold My Hand from Top Gun: Maverick, Rihanna’s Lift Me Up from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, This Is A Life from Everything Everywhere All At Once, and Applause from Tell It Like A Woman to win the honour.

In the video featuring the powerhouse talents behind The Elephant Whisperers, Guneet Monga wrote, “India’s 1st Oscar [heart emoji],” while Kartiki Gonsalves added, “World peace.” The caption read: “World Peace. This year’s Best Documentary Short Film winners, Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga (The Elephant Whisperers). #Oscars.”

Now, the team of RRR and The Elephant Whisperers have joined the celebrated group of Indians who have previously won an Oscar. This exclusive club includes legendary costume designer Bhanu Athaiya, singer-music composer AR Rahman, lyricist-filmmaker Gulzar, sound engineer Resul Pookutty, and the legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray, who was bestowed with an honorary Oscar.