I'm happy a Telugu song became a global hit: 'Naatu Naatu' lyricist Chandrabose

Chandra Bose, lyricist of the Naatu Naatu number which won the Golden Globe award at Los Angeles says the song took more than 19 months to emerge in its present form.

Though the idea for the song flashed across his mind instantly when the context was discussed, the challenge was in giving the shape and meeting the multiple elements that the robust music and dance number demanded. “Attaining perfection was a long journey,” a jubilant Bose tells The Federal on receiving the news of the award this morning.

Bose, who has penned more than 3,600 songs, was woken up at around 8 am today by his wife who made the loud and rapturous announcement that they had won the Golden Globe award for Naatu Naatu. In a telephonic conversation with The Federal, the lyricist, who is the second Indian to have won an international award after music maestro A R Rahman bagged an Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire, talked about the journey of this song which has simply turned iconic.

The story of RRR was a fictional narration woven around two revolutionaries fighting against British rule in their own regions. While Komaram Bheem hailed from the forest tracts of Nizam, Seetharama Raju revolted from the Agency area of the Circar region of Andhra Pradesh. (It is not clear if the two ever met in real life, in RRR, director S S Rajamouli took the artistic liberty of making these two freedom fighters meet and fight the British together)

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Bose remembers that their brief was that the song was to be set in the rural areas of two Telugu regions in the 1920s. That was a challenge since  Komaram Bheem comes from Nizam, while Sitaramaraju represents the Circar region, and the regions actually speak two different dialects. The song teems with phrases used in the 1920s in Circar and Nizam areas.

“The song had to capture not only the time but also the language of the 1920s. Words like erra jonna (red jowar), gadda paara (pick-axe) represent the Nizam area, while potlagitta (bulls) and dookeyaro belonged to the Circar region. Many of the words used are relatively unknown to the present generation. So, I took every care with the lyrics to ensure that I take the audience back 100 years and at the same time ensure the words are in sync with the context of the story,” explains Bose.

To the question on why the story took 19 months to create, he says, “The original lyrics had to undergo many modifications to meet the requirements of the tremendous energy in the dance and music. Similarly, the words should also be in tune with the mood. These changes took place in accordance with the demands of the music composer. It was an arduous journey. The combination of literature, music, dance, and voice had an electrifying effect which was evident the moment the song was released.”

Reacting to the award, he says, Wednesday (January 11) is an unforgettable sweet moment in his life for two reasons. “Firstly, today, a Telugu movie song has become a hit on the global stage. And second, the song flowed from my pen,” he remarks.

Bose has been in the industry for over 28 years and worked in as many as 850 films including the upcoming Walteru Veeraiah. His debut Manchu Kondalloni Chandrama from the movie Taj Mahal in 1995 was a huge hit making him a sought-after lyricist.

Bose profusely thanked director Rajamouligari and music composer Keeravanigari for giving him the opportunity in the movie. He was all praise for the talent shown by superstars Ram Charan and Jr NTR.