Kolkata/IBNS: The Oscar's live performance of the RRR track "Naatu Naatu" has sparked anger among a significant number of people.

The reason being the dance number was performed by a group of dancers who were not of Indian origin.

Moreover, the two male dancers who performed the lead roles, which were originally played by Indian actors Ram Charan and Jr NTR in the film, were identified as Billy Mustapha and Jason Glover, who are from Canada and the United States, respectively.

A lot of people have publicly criticized the decision to cast non-South Asian dancers for the live performance of "Naatu Naatu."

They argue that this undermines the anti-colonial message of the song, as in the movie which is set in pre-independence India. The "Naatu Naatu" sequence portrays a dance battle in which Ram Charan and Jr NTR's characters, Raju and Bheem, defeat their British opponents through dance.

At the Oscars, "Naatu Naatu" was introduced by Deepika Padukone and performed live by Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava, who provided the vocals for the popular track.

However, the controversy started when it was revealed that none of the dancers was of South Asian descent, despite being presented as such. The cast included American dancer Lauren Gottlieb, who is well-known to Indian audiences for her roles in several Indian films.

While the performance has been widely praised by Indian viewers for its energy and entertainment value, the lack of representation of the South Asian community in the United States has sparked protests.

The creative team of Napoleon and Tabitha Dumo, professionally known as NappyTabs, directed, produced and choreographed the live performance of Naatu Naatu at the Oscars.

The posts they have shared on Instagram about their experience have been overwhelmed with comments calling them out for failing to cast South Asian dancers.

During an interview, Raj Kapoor, the producer of the Oscars, disclosed that the initial plan was for Ram Charan and Jr NTR to perform the dance routine for "Naatu Naatu" under the supervision of RRR choreographer Prem Rakshith.

However, in late February, Kapoor was informed that the two actors would not feel comfortable performing the number live on stage due to their other professional commitments and the limited time available for rehearsals. As a result, the decision was made to change the performers for the live performance.

Kapoor stated, "Global audiences fell in love with Naatu Naatu and were dancing in theaters around the world, so we wanted to be open to any ethnicity to help honor the global impact of this song, and to celebrate that universal, unifying power of music and dancing. At the same time, we wanted to be authentic to the film and to honor Indian culture, which is why the film's producers, choreographers, leads and singers were approached from the very beginning and involved in our decision-making.

US-based dancer Joya Nandy Kazi expressed disappointment in the casting of non-South Asian dancers for the lead roles in the live performance of "Naatu Naatu" at the Oscars. In an Instagram post, Kazi questioned why two professional dancers from the South Asian community were not cast and called for better representation.

"Knowing that the two leads were unable to be involved, we worked in collaboration with Prem, our team in India, and our team in the US to find two lead characters who captured the infectious energy of the characters in the film and their over-the-top energetic dance skills," he added.

SS Rajamouli's hugely successful film RRR won the Best Original Song Oscar for "Naatu Naatu," which beat out several other popular tracks, including Lady Gaga's "Hold My Hand" and Rihanna's "Lift Me Up."