Odds of Naatu Naatu winning are huge: Lauren Gottlieb, who is dancing to Ram Charan, Jr NTR's RRR song at Oscars 2023

Lauren Gottlieb will dance to Ram Charan and Jr NTR's song Naatu Naatu at Oscars 2023. The American actor-dancer said 'the odds of Naatu Naatu winning' Best Original Song are huge.

RRR song Naatu Naatu has been nominated for Best Original Song at the 95th Academy Awards. American actor-dancer Lauren Gottlieb will dance to the popular Telugu song at Oscars 2023 on March 12 (March 13 in India). In a new interview, Lauren recalled the moment she got the final confirmation about her Oscars performance on the song that was picturised on Ram Charan and Jr NTR in RRR. She also said that the song could very well win an Oscar, and that she would 'dance like crazy backstage' if that were to happen.

Lauren Gottlieb will dance to Jr NTR and Ram Charan's Naatu Naatu at Oscars 2023.

Lauren, who was a runner-up in Jhalak Dikhlaa Jaa season 6, and has worked in films such as ABCD: Any Body Can Dance (2013), had shared the 'special news' of her upcoming Oscars performance on Friday via an Instagram post. Sharing photos of herself posing with Los Angeles' iconic Hollywood Sign in the background, Lauren wrote in her caption, "SPECIAL NEWS!!! I’m performing on Naatu Naatu at the OSCARS!!!!!! I’m beyond excited to represent India on the most prestigious stage in the world. Wish me luck!!!"

Sharing what went down before and after she announced her Oscars performance, Lauren told ETimes, “I was on hold for five days. The creatives kept changing, so they weren’t able to officially confirm. I was in Paris when I got the final confirmation and the next thing I did was rush to LA and buy a few weeks of rehearsal clothes (laughs). Napoleon and Tabitha D’umo, who are choreographing the song for the big night, are my friends. Before I began my career in India, I was assisting them on big stage shows in Hollywood. They reached out to me with this offer. Today, when I was in the middle of rehearsals, I got emotional thinking about how much representing India at the Oscars means to me. I feel so proud and I just hope everyone feels the same when they see it.”

Lauren further spoke about Naatu Naatu winning an Oscar, and said, “The first time I watched the film was last year at my aunt’s house in India. We both started dancing like crazy. So, when I got the call for the Oscars, I called her up and asked her if she remembered how we danced to the song in her house and then broke the news to her that I was performing to this song on the biggest stage in the world. I think the odds of Naatu Naatu winning are huge. I will dance like crazy backstage if they win!”

Naatu Naatu from SS Rajamouli's RRR has been composed by MM Keeravani. It has been nominated for the Best Original Song award at Oscars 2023. Naatu Naatu is the first Indian song to be nominated for the Oscars.