“Naatu Naatu,” a popular Telegu song, has won the title of being the first Asian song to be awarded at the Golden Globe Awards after winning a Golden Globe at the 80th Golden Globes on January 10th.  

“The song is about friendship, [India] winning against the British, and how teamwork is necessary. The song touches on a very important part of Indian history, and it serves as an identity for the Indian people. We use songs to express our emotions and feelings, and I think that it’s a win, in general, to raise awareness about those things through a song that everyone can listen to,” said Devika Subramaniam (‘23) 

“Naatu Naatu” garnered many international awards over its time of release leading many to believe that there will be a place for the South Asian industry in Hollywood.

“I think that [“Naatu Naatu” winning at the Golden Globe] is a really great opportunity for the Tollywood industry to really show their potential to the western audience and to show that they are a rising formidable source. I’m really excited that I’m a part of that community and it’s just a really great feeling that we got that award. I’m really excited for the future,” said ICC (Indian Culture Club) club president Bhavya Yanamandra (‘23)

Many Indian students at Amador felt seen after seeing the Thomas S. Hart Middle School choir singing “Naatu Naatu” for their performance. The performance now serves as a segway for more South Asian songs to be sung at PUSD. 

“I think that it’s definitely a change, and I know that [the Pleasanton Middle School students] sang a lot of American and Western songs, and I think that I would like to hear more [Indian songs] like “Naatu Naatu” being sung by them,” said Nitya Narahari (‘23)

The impact of “Naatu Naatu” has also made many wonder how the trajectory of South Asian film and music will change. Some think it serves the purpose of making Indian-American citizens feel more included.

“I think that the South Asian industry is going to start gaining popularity in the West as this song serves as a catalyst for many more achievements for the South Asian film industry. I’m also really excited to see more periodic films or other hits in India become big influences in America, and to see those ideals being embedded into American TV serials to represent who I am and make me feel appreciated as an Indian-American,” said Yanamdra (‘23)

Despite “Naatu Naatu’s” achievements and its popularity with the general public, some feel as though the song did not do a great job of representing the Tollywood industry as a whole.

“I didn’t really think that [“Naatu Naatu”] really deserved to win as it wasn’t my personal taste of music, and I didn’t really think it deserved to win in comparison to the other songs [in the Tollywood industry]. However, I still think that achieving this award was still cool, at the end of the day,” said Harshita Maseneni (‘25)