Oscar host Jimmy Kimmel at Sunday night’s Academy Awards sparked controversy after referring R.R.R. as a Bollywood film. Fans of the movies protested against the remark.
“RRR is a Telugu-language film made in Tollywood, not a Bollywood film as Mr. Kimmel mistakenly stated, “It’s important to recognize and celebrate the diversity and richness of Indian cinema, which includes many different languages and film industries.”
Following Kimmel’s comment, social media was flooded with posts from fans who felt that the Oscar host had disrespected the film and its makers. Some critics of Kimmel’s comment pointed out that Bollywood is a term used specifically to describe the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai, whereas Tollywood is the industry based in Telugu-speaking regions of India.
Despite the controversy, RRR had reason to celebrate on Sunday night, as the film’s original song “Natu Natu” won an Oscar in the Best Original Song category. Singers Rahul Sipliganj and Kalabhairava performed the song during the ceremony, with Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone introducing them to the audience.
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