The 2022 Telugu epic film, RRR, is taking  the world by storm, winning multiple awards and being invited on international stages to be recognized for its grandiose depiction of a pair of Indian revolutionaries mobilizing against British colonization. 

On Sunday at The Oscars, the popular track from the film, Naatu Naatu, won Best Original Song, adding to the list of accolades for RRR—in addition to a scheduled song and dance performance of the track during the show. This is the first time since 2008, when Jai Ho was performed by A.R. Rahman, that an Indian song was to be performed. I think it’s important to remember that Slumdog Millionaire was still a British-made production rather than being based out of India, so the 2023 performance was even more of a win.

When news broke that there would be no South Asian dancers on the stage performing Naatu Naatu at the Oscars, what previously felt like a huge win was a reminder of what could have been.

Not only did the Academy fail to appoint South Asian choreographers, or even ones who have proficient training in South Asian dance styles, but there was also a lack of diversity amongst dancers—most of whom were white, and lead dancers who were South Asian "passing", but not actually of South Asian descent.

After the Oscars, perhaps because of the numerous conversations around this controversy, the Academy posted an article on their personal site stating that the show was actually produced by Raj Kapoor, who runs a creative direction & design company, specifically for T.V. & live entertainment industry. 

“While the original film sequence features about 50 dancers that are mainly Caucasian, we decided that our cast of 20 supporting dancers would be diverse and from all different backgrounds. Global audiences fell in love with Naatu Naatu and were dancing in theaters around the world, so we wanted to be open to any ethnicity to help honor the global impact of this song, and to celebrate that universal, unifying power of music and dancing” says Kapoor. 

Knowing that they were trying to support a diverse cast, yet still somehow ended up with not a single South Asian on stage, felt like another blatantly missed opportunity. 

This article was most likely meant to help placate the community, but instead, it made many, myself included, more disheartened knowing that even with the presence of someone who should understand the importance of representation, we were discluded. I also can’t help but feel that Kappor is only now being put forward as a scapegoat to take the brunt of the backlash after the performance.

‍Divya Jethwani, music manager, founder of BST projects, choreographer and dancer herself, took to social media to share her disappointment about how all of this played out. 

“Bottom line: if you are going to use our IP - cut the cheque. Put our people on. Give our community the actual visibility it deserves. Beyond the bright lights, pomp and glory, there are performers who have trained too hard and too long to be starving for these opportunities” she wrote in her post.

Jethwani has been a pioneer for South Asian inclusion since her work with artist Tesher on his international hit, Jalebi Baby. She served as the choreographer not only for the music video, but also for Tesher’s viral Bhangra performance at the 2022 Juno Awards, both of which featured a dance cast of predominantly South Asian dancers.

“Listen, it is hard to find South Asian Dancers that are affiliated with unions. Film and T.V. is so hard because you have to be a part of a union or represented by an agent to be put up for these gigs. Back then, in 2021, when we were casting for Jalebi Baby it was hard, but since then, we’ve learned so much and more people have been getting signed,” said Jethwani in an interview with 5X Press. 

“But when we did the Junos performance, if someone wasn’t affiliated with a union, we helped them obtain that designation so they would be able to perform, and it instantly increased what they would be paid for the performance as well.”

Jethwani recalled that she spent hours and hours casting, but she always had a commitment to having true representation in whatever was put forward, saying “We have to find them and we will do whatever it takes to find them. It is possible to do it, you just have to put in the work.”

There are options out there. Jethwani name drops the likes of Joya Kazi and Nakul Dev Mahajan, who are both huge names in the South Asian dance community, but also have the affiliations needed to make things happen on a televised stage— choreographing for shows like Never Have I Ever and So You Think You Can Dance respectively. 

There was plenty of opportunity available for the Oscars to get it right, it just required someone to care enough to take the time to create a truly inclusive environment. TikToker Dr. Maheetha Bharadwaj also shared her disappointment on social media. 

‍“To take a culture that has historically faced erasure and mockery, even in India, to bring it onto an international platform, and then what are we doing? Erasing the people that contributed to that culture," Bharadwaj says in her video.

Every step of the way, there was an opportunity to honour the true sentiment of the song Naatu Naatu, and at every step, an active choice was made to ignore the work that goes into inclusion. 

Am I surprised? Absolutely not.

The hashtag #OscarsSoWhite has been around since 2015, highlighting the historic racism that is enacted by the award show every year. Sure they’ve made some minor changes, but as someone who currently works as an expert in the diversity, equity and inclusion space, I’ve learned that most institutions are a lot of talk and not a lot of action.

Many around the world describe this milestone performance as incredibly bittersweet. It was incredible to see South Asian culture being offered a stage to showcase its beauty, but ultimately so disheartening to know that we wouldn’t truly be included.

Diversity is a fact of life. Inclusion is an active choice we have to make. Your choices make who you are. We see where you stand, Oscars.