Young Bollywood star Ayushmann Khurrana, who is regarded as Mr. Original in the Indian film industry because of his brilliant, envelope pushing film choices, is thrilled that India has three nominations at this year’s Oscars!
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Two Indian-made documentaries are going to the Oscars - All That Breathes has been nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film and The Elephant Whisperers for Best Documentary Short. Along with them, RRR has been nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song for Naatu Naatu which also won the Golden Globe in the same category.
Naatu Naatu will compete against four other nominated songs - Applause from Tell It Like A Woman, Lady Gaga's Hold My Hand from Top Gun: Maverick, Rihanna's Lift Me Up from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and This Is A Life from Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Ayushmann, who has been voted by the prestigious TIME Magazine as one of the Most Influential People in the World for his talked-about, deliciously original films, says, “I have always firmly believed that India can disrupt the global content landscape with indigenous stories and by staying true to our culture and realities.”
He adds, “The fact that we have three nominations at the Oscars this year with All That Breathes, The Elephant Whisperers and S.S. Rajamouli’s Naatu Naatu shows that India can be a dominant player in shaping how the world views content emerging out of India and the impact it can have on the hearts and minds of people worldwide.”
About RRR and how it’s having an impact in the hearts and minds of people globally, Ayushmann says, “S.S. Rajamouli sir’s RRR has created a global celebration of India and its culture. Naatu Naatu is representation of all things Indian. I have always been inspired by great storytelling and this year’s Oscar nominations make me proud to be an Indian.“
He adds, “My vision for Indian content is that we are able to have a cultural impact on audiences across the world and tell everyone about the abundance of talent that we boast of. It is truly a renaissance age for India and I’m blessed to be living in it.”
On the work front, Ayushmann’s next is the much-awaited Dream Girl 2, sequel to his blockbuster 2019 film, which releases on July 7, 2023.