Ukrainian soldiers spoof Oscar-winning ‘Naatu Naatu’ song

A unit from the Ukrainian armed forces recreated the Oscar-winning “Naatu Naatu” song from the Indian Telugu-language “RRR” film, with new lyrics directed at their Russian foes, in the hope that the spoof will spur India to recognize the nation’s plight.

The military unit from Mykolaiv, a southern city currently occupied by Russia, filmed the spoof of the song last month, creating a video that shows Ukrainian soldiers dancing and trying to drop drone strikes into an open barrel before dropping them on what appears to be Russian military vehicles.

“Russian orcs will keep complaining saying they are fighting NATO,” the soldiers sing in the video, according to a translation posted by local radio and TV company MAPT. “Those are just some lame excuses. In Ukraine they’re told to f**kov.”

The parody paid homage to the film version of the song, which was shot outside the Kyiv presidential palace before the war began. The music won best original song at this year’s Academy Awards in March.

The Bollywood original is about the movie’s protagonists protesting a British officer during colonization, which is why some said the remake was so spot on.

“Therefore, the fact that the Ukrainian version is against the Russian Federation, which colonized Ukraine, and the original is against another colonizing country, I hope will put the right meanings in the heads of Indians,” Jane Fedotova, vice president of the Liberal Democratic League of Ukraine, wrote online after posting the clip.

In another tweet, Fedotova said that the intention of the altered musical number was to solicit support from India.

“Unfortunately, there is a perception in Ukraine that India is totally pro [Russia] and we would like the change it and see more support from India,” she wrote.

The original Naatu Naatu song was created by Indian composer Koduri Marakatamani Keeravani, but the Ukrainian version was made up and produced by director Yuriy Tazarachev, according to MAPT.

The song was performed in collaboration with the Ukrainian military band and the dance groups “Gratsia,” “Capryz,” and “Surprise,” as well as with the Mykolaiv Vocational College of Culture.

The clip has been viewed millions of times across social media and even got the attention of the Times of India, which called it a “clever adaptation of the lyrics to reflect the military context.”