South Newsmakers Of The Week: Ram Charan’s big statements, RRR’s Oscar win to Actor Innocent critical

One of the week’s biggest news is RRR’s Oscar triumph for Naatu Naatu and it has made headlines worldwide. To note, the South Indian film industry was quite cheerful and lively this week as moviegoers got a lot of new updates. Naga Chaitanya’s Custody teaser was another highlight of the week. 

Meanwhile, Samantha Ruth Prabhu is turning heads as she kickstarts promotions of her upcoming film Shaakuntalam without any breaks. This week was also a shocker as Malayalam actor Innocent, who won hearts with his comedy in the movies has been hospitalised and is in a critical state. 

Here’s a quick recap of what went down in Southern cinema this week: 

RRR’s Naatu Naatu wins big at Oscars 2023 
 

SS Rajamouli’s RRR created history by winning the ‘Best Original Song’ Award for ‘Naatu Naatu’. Naatu Naatu defeated other nominees like Applause (Tell It Like a Woman), Hold My Hand (Top Gun Maverick), Lift Me Up (Black Pather Wakanda Forever), and This is a Life (Everything Everywhere All at Once). Featuring Jr NTR and Ram Charan, Naatu Naatu is composed by M M Keeravani and sung by Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava. 

Malayalam actor Innocent is Critical 
 

ALSO READ: RRR: Naatu Naatu singer Kaala Bhairava’s long note on his Oscars performance upsets Jr NTR and Ram Charan fans

In a shocking piece of news, Malayalam actor Innocent is hospitalised in Kochi and is on ventilator support. He is said to be in a critical state due to breathing issues. The 75-year-old veteran comedian recovered from cancer some years ago. 

Custody Teaser
 

The teaser of Naga Chaitanya’s upcoming film, Custody was released this week. Directed by Venkat Prabhu, the teaser sees Chaitanya as a cop while Arvind Swami adds extra intensity to the character with his villainy act. Krithi Shetty and Sarathkumar look convincing in their respective roles. Custody is releasing worldwide on May 12, 2023.

Ram Charan’s big statements 

Ram Charan participated in the India Today Conclave where he shared his views on the nepotism debate, the rise of Southern cinema and many other things. Live rendition of Naatu Naatu was the highlight of Oscars 2023. However, a lot of Indian fans were upset seeing he act performed by international dancers. Reacting to the controversy, Ram Charan said, “I was 100% ready to perform ‘Naatu Naatu’ on the stage at the Oscars. I truly don’t know what happened. I think those who performed did a better job than us. It was time for us to relax and enjoy ourselves while someone else performed an Indian song. ‘Naatu Naatu’ is India’s song.” 

On Nepotism debate: I don’t understand this debate. It’s herd mentality. I don’t know how many individuals think along those lines left for themselves. If the son of an eminent journalist wants to become a journalist, it is only understandable. The inclination in children to follow their parents has always been there. I breathe and live cinema. I was in a film school since I was born. I know the art. I wouldn’t have sustained myself in this industry if I was not good at my job. You only get a stepping stone to success (if your parent is already an established name), but later you are on yourself. Talent speaks. Yash’s (the ‘KGF’ star’s father came from an underprivileged background) talent spoke for itself. It’s the same case for everyone. 

On South Vs North Debate: I have always looked up to Hindi cinema. I always wanted to reach out to the maximum set of audiences across the country. They (Bollywood) have been doing great for so many years. It’s not like only Southern cinema has arrived. We can make history together. 

Samantha beings Shaakuntalam promotions 
 

After wrapping up a small schedule of Kushi in Hyderabad, Samantha Ruth Prabhu has geared up for the promotions of her upcoming mythological film, Shaakuntalam. Sam along with co-star Dev Mohan and makers Neelima Guna and Gunashekar visited Sri Peddamma Thalli temple to seek divine blessings. 
 

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