Awards season has many moviegoers congratulating their favorite films for winning Oscars and bemoaning the lack of such success for others. One unexpected hit is RRR, a movie from India absolutely wowed audiences everywhere. But this incredible reception has many wondering why it's not receiving a certain award.
It was expected that the RRR would get at least a nomination for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars, but this didn't come to pass. While some fans might be disappointed by this, there's a reason behind this that isn't based in just snubbing a crowd-pleaser. Here's the rule that kept RRR from dancing its way to an Oscar.
RRR Was Ineligible to Earn the Best International Feature Film Nomination at the Oscars
As mentioned, RRR was quite well-liked by both Indian audiences and international ones, which pretty much every aspect of the film loved. From its writing and direction to its action and music, the movie impressed in a universal way unseen in many Indian productions. It's currently the most expensive Indian film ever made, though its budget was the equivalent of about $70 million (small for a blockbuster Hollywood movie, in comparison). Making bank and getting praise, it seemed that the film was set to get at least a nomination at the Oscars for Best International Feature Film, if not take it home.
The problem lies in that particular category of Oscar awards. The Best International Feature Film category requires that a respective movie's country nominates it, so audience hype surrounding the film is irrelevant. Instead, India decided to nominate Chhello Show, aka Last Film Show. While this movie was well-received in its own right, it had a somewhat more serious and thematic tone, perhaps explaining its nomination over the more action-based RRR. By not being backed by its requisite country, RRR was thus ineligible to be nominated for the award, despite it arguably being more deserving.
RRR Still Got Plenty of Awards Buzz
Even though the Oscars weren't quite as rewarding toward RRR as some fans hoped, it got a lot more hype from the Golden Globes. These nominations made it only the third Indian film to receive such recognition and the first made in the Telugu language. It also won the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Golden Globes and the 28th Critics' Choice Awards and took home the Best Song categories for both award ceremonies. Its catchy song "Naatu Naatu" has become one of its many highlights, with the uplifting ditty being accompanied by a lively jig.
The song winning the Best Original Song category made it the first Asian entry to do so for a movie, showcasing how groundbreaking RRR was in the grand scheme of things. It's still making the rounds on Netflix, being a huge international hit for the streaming service. While it might have failed to get nominated for what some thought it would, it's clear that even the Oscars can't break RRR's stride.