Watch ‘Naatu Naatu’ Performance Bring Explosive Tollywood Energy to the Academy Awards

variety.com:

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Expectations were high for a performance of “Naatu Naatu” sending the Oscars telecast into hyperdrive, and the song-and-dance number did not disappoint the global audience tuned in to see how the “hook dance” steps from the Indian film “RRR” translated to the stage.

Singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava recreated their vocals from the movie’s soundtrack, as a troupe of more than 20 dancers had their exuberant way with the choreography that became the year’s biggest movie-music meme.Here's the energetic performance of "Naatu Naatu" from #RRR at the #Oscars.

https://t.co/ndiKiHeOT5 pic.twitter.com/Lf2nP826c4 Introduced by Deepika Padukone as “a total banger,” as well as “the first song ever from an Indian production to be nominated for an Oscar,” the performance energized the telecast by recreating the dance-till-you-drop narrative of the number as it appears in “RRR.” The “Naatu Naatu” performance took place about an hour and a half into the telecast, but viewers didn’t have to wait that long to get a taste of the dancing that captivated audiences in the U.S.

as well as back home in India and around the world. Jimmy Kimmel’s opening monolog ended with an “RRR” gag, as Kimmel declared that winners going long in their speeches would not be played off by the orchestra.