Oscar winner RRR's 'Naatu Naatu' co-singer Kaala Bhairava: ‘My biggest music idol always was and still is my father MM Keeravaani’

Kaala Bhairava (left). one of the singers of the 'RRR' song 'Naatu Naatu', is its composer MM Keeravaani's son. (Photos: Twitter)

Earlier this year, the Telugu song Naatu Naatu won the Golden Globes and the Critic’s Choice Awards making RRR the first Indian film to win these international awards. And, now, it has won an Oscar!

Also Read: Oscars 2023 Highlights: Everything Everywhere All At Once sweeps off 7 wins, takes Best Picture, Best Director & Best Actress crowns

Composer MM Keeravaani and lyricist Chandrabose of RRR's Naatu Naatu won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short, on March 12 (March 13 in India), 2023. This is a second win for India, after AR Rahman and Gulzar had won the same award for Slumdog Millionaire's Jai Ho in 2009.

The Telugu song has been sung by Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava. In an exclusive chat with Moneycontrol, Bhairava talks about the making of the rip-rouser song, his legendary father MM Keeravaani, growing up with his famous director-uncle SS Rajamouli, how international awards mean a lot for the industry, and his love for all genres and more. Edited excerpts:

Congratulations! How did you feel when you first heard about the win?
I was in the US when the awards were announced but I wasn’t at the Golden Globes event, so, as soon as we heard the announcement, I was very overwhelmed and overjoyed. It was such an exciting moment. I immediately messaged Chandrabose Garu, then the programmers who worked on the music G Jeevan Babu, Siddharth S and my co-singer Rahul Sipligunj. I messaged all of them and shared our happiness with them.

What do you feel about international awards? How important are they for the Indian film industry?
I believe it is an amazing thing, not because of the award by itself, but because of the international recognition that comes along with it. International awards are always a great thing, not just for the Indian industry but for all the industries across the world. The ultimate goal for any artiste is to work towards making their work reach as many people and places as possible. So, yes, this is a wonderful thing for everyone in the entertainment industry.

Your father MM Keeravaani (aka MM Kreem) composed this piece. What was his brief to you and Rahul Sipligunj as the singers?
It was simple. We (Rahul and me) were instructed to render the song with an uninhibited attitude and maintain the kind of energy the song and the situation demanded.

When recording did you ever think that this song would go on to win multiple international awards?Haha, no! We never imagined. In the process of music and song production, we never invest much thought into how the song would do or fare after it’s released. We focus mostly on how well the song is complementing the movie and the emotions involved in the story. One interesting fact about the song is that the complete music production work of the song, from the scratch composition to the final master, took a period of two-and-a-half years. We kept improvising and improving it at every step of the way.

You have grown up in a family of creative people and artistes, around your father, and your uncle Rajamouli, how was your childhood like?
It was definitely a childhood with a lot of cinematic influences. Watching movies and listening to music were an everyday thing for us.

Where have you learnt music and who has been your idol when it comes to music and singing? 
My biggest inspiration and idol in music always was and still is Naanna (my father) and I have learnt music from him. Being a part of my Naanna’s recording sessions and his composing team for a long time now has been great. That is where I have learnt most of my music. Apart from that I have also learnt traditional Carnatic vocal for a few years from my guru, Madhu Ponnas. I was in Class VIII in school when I sang for my father so my introduction to the recording studio was early.

You are also a composer. What's your process when singing for another composer?
That is something I really enjoy doing. When I have to sing for another composer, I try to get out of my natural rhythm and zone and explore different styles and modulations which might complement that particular composition.

Naatu naatu is a peppy, action-laced, fast dance song but you have also sung melodious romantic songs like Khoya hain (Baahubali — The Beginning, 2015). Which music genre do you like more?
I don’t like or dislike a particular genre of song when it comes to singing. I enjoy singing all kinds of songs, if the composition is genuinely good and interesting.

Senior singers say playback singing used to be different a few decades ago when there was no autotune to fix a singer's voice and off-notes. What's your take?
Yes, that’s true. Playback singing was relatively more tough and more demanding back then. No one can argue with that. If there was a small mistake they would have to redo the entire song once more from the beginning.

Do you feel that digitally correcting singer’s voices is needed nowadays?
The answer to this can’t be a straight Yes or a No. It all comes down to the individual choice and tastes of the composer. It’s more of a creative call.

In recent times, music is mostly heard in social-media reels. What do you feel about this digital space in popularising music?
Social-media platforms play a very powerful role in popularising songs. Not just songs but all kinds of media. If used to an advantage, social media is indeed the most effective tool for the industry.

Once a song attains popularity, there are several renditions of it released by many artistes and singers on social media. As a singer of the original track, does this bother you when your songs' cover versions get popularity on social media?
Good question. My answer is 'Not at all!' When a song (which I have sung originally) is being widely used for cover versions and remixes, I’ll only admire the composer of that song for his success in creating a song that has become so popular!