Deepika Padukone became the third Indian Oscar presenter ever as she introduced the Naatu Naatu performance by Kaala Bhairava and Rahul Sipligunj to audiences at the 95th Academy Awards on March 13.
The 37-year-old actress looked resplendent in her custom Louis Vuitton off-the-shoulder mermaid black gown that she complemented with a stunning Cartier necklace and bracelet. Deepika’s makeup was all about old Hollywood glamour with a perfect cat-eye look complimenting a soft nude lip. She also took the opportunity to show off her new 82°E tattoo on her Instagram story.
The Bollywood actress smiled throughout her speech as she was clearly enjoying the applause the RRR song received even before the start of the performance. “An irresistibly catchy chorus, electrifying beats and killer dance moves to match has made this song a global sensation. It plays during a pivotal scene in RRR, a movie about the friendship between real life Indian revolutionaries Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem,” she said.
“In addition to being sung in Telugu and illustrating the film’s anti-colonial themes, it's also a total banger. It’s earned millions of views on YouTube and Tiktok, has audiences dancing in movie theatres all around the world and is also the first song ever from an Indian production to be nominated for an Oscar. Do you know Naatu? Because if you don't, you're about to. From the film RRR this is Naatu Naatu,” she added.
Before Deepika, model-actress Persis Khambatta and Priyanka Chopra led the baton for India in 1980 and 2016, respectively.
