RRR struck gold, quite literally, when it won the Best Original Song award at the Golden Globes 2023, which happened in Los Angeles, USA. At the event, RRR – which stars Jr NTR and Ram Charan – is being represented at the awards function by its director, SS Rajamouli, who could not hold his excitement when music director MM Keeravaani went on stage to receive the award.
Thousands of the miles away from the event, in Bengaluru, two brothers G Manoharan Naidu and G Thulasiram Laharivelu, aka Lahari Velu, who run music label Lahari Music, which has the audio rights for the movie, had a private celebration early in the morning (owing to the difference in time zones), when the award was announced.
For the brothers, it feels like a personal win, since they have been an integral part in the promotion of the song. “We live in a joint family and my whole family was up at dawn to find out the results. Our happiness knew no bounds when the song’s name was announced,” says Velu, adding that he is going to meet the team in Hyderabad once they are back in India.
Having heard the songs right from scratch before anyone else, and also having produced two-time Grammy award winner Ricky Kej and veteran rock guitarist Stewart Copeland’s album Divine Tides, he is often asked what the trick behind recognising ‘hit music’ is. “People ask how we pick classics, which were sometimes risky. Like Roja or Premaloka. But I think it is our dedication to music and our honest intention to promote good music that helps us. In the true sense, I consider this ability to be my biggest asset,” says Velu, adding that having started his company with just Rs 500 three decades ago has paid off.
Keeravaani was handed over the award by Wednesday fame actor Jenna Ortega. Apart from the Best Original Song, Rajamouli’s blockbuster was also nominated for the Best Non-English Language Film, which it lost to Argentina, 1985. The movie is a period drama, set in the British-occupied India of the 1920s, where Jr NTR and Charan play freedom fighters Komaram Bheem and Alluri Seetharamaraju. The movie also has Alia Bhatt and Ajay Devgn, along with British actors Ray Stevenson, Alison Doody and Olivia Morris, playing important roles.
On the red carpet, Jr NTR was accompanied by his wife Lakshmi Pranathi, while Charan was accompanied by his wife Upasana Kamineni. Dressed in a printed saree, Kamineni, who covered her baby bump, took to Instagram to share her excitement. She wrote, “I’m sooo happy my baby can experience this along with me. I’m soooooo emotional. (sic)”
RRR’s
Naatu Naatu won the Best Original Song award at the Golden Globes 2023. And city-based
G Thulasiram Laharivelu, aka Lahari Velu, co-owner of Lahiri Music which has the audio rights for the movie, is beyond thrilled about the big moment.