The frenetic dance to the Oscar-winning song “Naatu Naatu” has gone viral, becoming the new big craze. Around the world, people are trying to follow in the footsteps of the two Indian actors and dancers who performed the now-legendary routine. From teenagers to police officers to diplomats, the trend is simple: master the choreography, film yourself, and post it online.

Music critics say the song itself isn’t anything extraordinary — but the choreography is flawless, and the video is brilliantly shot and edited. Within 24 hours of its release, the song passed 17 million views in its Telugu version (becoming the most-watched Telugu song) and 35 million views across all five language versions on YouTube. Today it has over 135 million views and ranks 48th worldwide among music videos.

The director of RRR, S.S. Rajamouli — the film where the song appears — envisioned “Naatu Naatu” as a kind of dance-battle scene, where the Indian duo outshines their British counterparts. He also used the song as a hint of the film’s climax. “My biggest achievement,” he said, “was finding a way to bring the song into the story without breaking the narrative.”

The choreography is by Prem Rakshit. Rajamouli explains that he gave Rakshit a clear mission: “He had to create steps that looked great when performed by two people together — but not so complicated that ordinary people couldn’t try them. We wanted people to imitate the dance: siblings, fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, friends. After a few attempts, they should be able to dance it. We wanted the dance to go viral.”
Rakshit created 110 different movements for the hook step.

Teenagers, Norway, Police Officers — Everyone Joins In

Teenagers in the United States were quick to join the trend.

Norwegians did not stay behind either. The famous Norwegian dance crew Quick Style honored the Oscar-winning song with their own version. While recently in India, they even danced together with cricket star Virat Kohli, Bollywood actress Raveena Tandon, and others.

Videos also circulated of police officers cautiously trying the steps.

Diplomats joined the celebration as well: after the German Embassy in India posted their dance version, Korean diplomats working in New Delhi created one too.

Some even compared the choreography to the old-school comedy brilliance of Laurel and Hardy — the first to demonstrate such comedic physicality.

Office workers around the world have recorded their own versions, proudly dancing between desks and computers.

Even Elon Musk joined the movement: Tesla cars were programmed to perform a light-show choreography to “Naatu Naatu”, flashing and dancing in sync with the song.

Employees of the German Embassy in India also released their own cheerful performance.

Filmed at Ukraine’s Presidential Palace — Months Before the War

“Naatu Naatu” was filmed in August 2021 in Ukraine, during the final stage of the RRR shoot. The location was the Mariinskyi Palace, the official residence of the President of Ukraine in Kyiv — filmed just months before Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

The shoot lasted 15 days and involved around 50 dancers and 300–400 extras.

But who are the two charismatic stars whose dance took the world by storm?

The Two Leads: Ram Charan and N.T. Rama Rao Jr.

N.T. Rama Rao Jr. (Jr. NTR) — “Tarak”

He is the grandson of the legendary Telugu actor and politician N.T. Rama Rao. Tarak, born May 20, 1983 in Hyderabad, learned the classical dance form Kuchipudi as a child and performed on stage both in India and abroad.

He made his film debut playing Lord Ram in the children’s film Ramayanam (1996). His adult debut came with Ninnu Choodalani (2001). Since then, he has appeared in more than 30 films, winning:

2 Filmfare Awards
2 Nandi Awards
4 CineMAA Awards

Ram Charan — Actor, Producer, Entrepreneur

Ram Charan is among the highest-paid Telugu film actors. He comes from a legendary film dynasty: son of megastar Chiranjeevi, nephew of Pawan Kalyan and producer Allu Aravind, grandson of comedian Allu Ramalingaiah, and cousin of actor Allu Arjun.

He owns the “Ram Charan Hyderabad Polo Riding Club” and ranked #69 on Forbes India (2013) with earnings of 1.26 billion rupees.

RRR — A Fictional Tale of Two Revolutionaries

RRR tells the fictionalized story of two legendary revolutionaries and their journey far from home before joining the fight for India’s freedom in the 1920s.

Of course, none of this would exist without the two key creators behind the song:

M.M. Keeravani — composer
Chandrabose — lyricist

Both accepted the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

The song is written in Telugu, and the film is part of Tollywood.

How the Dance Fits Into the Story

Director Rajamouli explains:

“There were certain expectations — when we announced Charan and Rao, audiences naturally expected a dance number. But I can’t simply insert one without purpose. The story must demand it.”

In the film, Raju and Bheem are in the garden of a Delhi mansion, guests of British socialite Jenny (played by Olivia Morris). One of her arrogant friends mocks them with racist remarks, saying: “What do they know about art? About refinement?”

The Indian heroes respond with a dance worthy of Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor in Singin’ in the Rain.

The British characters try to compete — only to collapse from exhaustion. In the final twist, Raju pretends to have a muscle cramp so that Bheem’s beloved Jenny will be impressed by Bheem instead.

“It’s a story within the story,” Rajamouli says. “A short film of its own.”