How ‘RRR’ created the most rollicking movie scene of the year

But despite the addictive chorus and propulsive beat of “Naatu Naatu," the biggest force behind the song’s success is a dance—a heel-thrusting, suspender-bending, dust-kicking sequence that accompanies the tune in the action epic “RRR."

The five-minute scene helped a three-hour period film from South India translate to international audiences, becoming one of the movie world’s most exuberant moments of the year. “RRR," directed and co-written by S.S. Rajamouli, grossed about $160 million in movie theaters worldwide. But many viewers unfamiliar with releases from India (much less the Telugu-language filmmaking hub known as Tollywood) discovered the film on Netflix. From there, the “Naatu Naatu" dance took on a life of its own on TikTok and other social-media networks.

Set in the 1920s, “RRR" (short for “Rise Roar Revolt") tells the highly stylized and fictionalized story of two Indian freedom fighters, Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem. Played by movie stars Ram Charan and N.T. Rama Rao, Jr., respectively, these characters develop a fierce friendship as a clash with British colonial rulers looms.

Following several over-the-top action scenes, “Naatu Naatu" is the first big musical number in the movie and plays a pivotal role, signifying the growing bond between the two heroes. A rendition will be performed at the Oscars ceremony, where composer M.M. Keeravaani and the lyricist Chandrabose are nominated for best original song.

If they win (as they did at the Golden Globe awards), it will be a vicarious victory for Mr. Rajamouli, the director, and choreographer Prem Rakshith, who envisioned the mirror dance moves featured in the scene. Below, they break down key elements that helped “Naatu Naatu" become a globe-hopping hit.

When dance drives plot

Splashy song-and-dance numbers are routine in Indian cinema, but Mr. Rajamouli wanted an interlude that would also drive the story forward.

Raju, an officer in the British police force, has befriended Bheem. But Raju is unaware that his new pal is actually the tribal rebel he’s trying to hunt down. They go to a posh party where Bheem hopes to woo a young aristocratic woman (played by Olivia Morris). Some hostile Englishmen, including ringleader Jake (Eduard Buhac), try to run them out.

Raju comes to Bheem’s side, and the two men school the partygoers in “naatu," a Telugu word denoting ethnic identity. In translation, the song lyrics describe a wild dance evoking a green chili, a sharp dagger and a bull “dancing in the dust of the fields." The actual choreography is more technical.

Mr. Rajamouli envisioned movements in which Bheem and Raju would move like mirror images of each other. “The synchronization in their dance steps makes the audience feel that there is a lot of understanding between them," Mr. Rajamouli said.

To bring that idea to fruition he relied on Mr. Rakshith, who has done choreography for dozens of films and worked with Mr. Rajamouli for the past 15 years. “I was asked to do things I didn’t know how to do. I know the body language of both actors, but when you’re taking them into sync, their styles look different," said the choreographer, whose key dance influences are Michael Jackson and Indian choreographer and filmmaker Prabhu Deva.

With the director, Mr. Rakshith tested about 100 different movements before narrowing down to a handful, including a signature hook-step motion, that best matched the two stars’ physicality.

Costumes as dance props

Like human windup toys, Bheem and Raju involve their suspenders in the dance. Mr. Rakshith said it’s instinctual for him to incorporate actors’ costumes and props into his routines: “If a coat is there, I’ll play with the coat. If I have a gun in someone’s hand, I’ll play with the gun. The same thing I did with the suspenders."

But the whimsical set piece demanded precision. After each full day of shooting the “Naatu Naatu" sequence, the dancers would rehearse the next day’s steps for about three hours per night.

“The suspenders step took the most time to get it perfectly right…and was worth it," Mr. Rajamouli said.

The Ukrainian connection

Though “RRR" is set in and around colonial Delhi, the “Naatu Naatu" number was mainly shot in Ukraine—against the backdrop of Mariinsky Palace in Kyiv. Shooting took place there in 2021 as a solution to Covid restrictions that had hampered the production elsewhere. Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the exterior of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s residence stood in for the party setting, with many Ukrainian actors and dancers joining the cast.

Despite the upscale location, the scene called for a down-home addition: a coating of dirt and dust that rises in clouds as the dancers kick up their feet. In films it’s a common element intended to evoke rural Indian tradition, Mr. Rakshith said: “When you do folk songs, the dust will always be there."

Try this at home

The scene mushrooms into a dance-off competition with all of the partygoers getting in on the action. The hook-step move that they all perform was designed to work in mass synchronization.

“The heroes had to have extra style, but both the heroes and [background] dancers have to give the same energy—not too high, not too low. They have to balance," Mr. Rakshith said.

The director said he also intended the hook step as a move that viewers would want to try out for themselves, which is what happened on TikTok and elsewhere. “Everyone should feel that they can do it, with a few trials," Mr. Rajamouli said.

A foreshadowing dance-off

Bheem and Raju beat the Englishmen (and wow the Englishwomen) in the dance-off. Even as the win helps seal their brotherhood, the dance also nods to tensions to come.

“The competition is over, but the friends want to compete with each other," Mr. Rajamouli said. “The expressions on their faces are one of my best moments."

Write to John Jurgensen at John.Jurgensen@wsj.com