RRR’s Naatu Naatu wins best original song

He said that he had grown up listening to songs by The Carpenters – an American music duo – and sang the rest of his speech in the tune of their hit song Top Of The World.

The audience burst into laughter and applause as he said that RRR had “put me on the top of the world”.

On arrival at the ceremony, Kaala Bhairava, one of the singers of Naatu Naatu,told The Hollywood Reporter that the song was award-worthy because it was “rooted to its nativity”.

“That’s the most beautiful part of the Oscars – people from all over the world coming together, representing their own culture and their own art forms and being appreciated by people from other countries and communities,” he said.

Mr Bhairava and his co-singer Rahul Sipligunj also performed the song at the ceremony. The pulsating performance received a standing ovation from the audience.

The dazzling action epic is one of India’s most expensive films. The song itself was shot over 15 days, with 150 dancers and a crew of 200 working 12 hours a day.

The song features beats commonly used in folk songs in India’s Telugu-speaking states, and several folksy references.