Rajamouli, Ram Charan, Jr NTR not given free entry to Oscars, paid over ₹20 lakh per person to attend: Report

According to a report, only music composer MM Keeravani and lyricist Chandra Bose were eligible for a free pass to attend Oscars 2023, as they were nominated for the awards ceremony, which was held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 12 (March 13 in India).

The rest of the RRR team, including filmmaker SS Rajamouli, actors Ram Charan and Jr NTR, and their family had to buy tickets to watch the event live.

RRR’s Naatu Naatu won the Oscar for Best Original Song recently. SS Rajamouli, Ram Charan and Jr NTR along with their families attended the prestigious event to witness the historical moment, live. Now, as per a report Rajamouli purchased tickets for himself, the rest of the RRR team, and their family members so that they could attend the Oscars.

As per a report by The Economic Times, a single ticket to Oscar 2023 cost $25,000, which is around ₹20.6 Lakhs. As per the report, according to the Academy Awards crew, only the awardees and their family members were eligible for a free pass, while everyone else had to pay for a ticket to watch the event live.

While many were surprised that Rajamouli and others were not given free entry to the Oscars, a section of fans were upset with the Academy Awards organisers for giving the RRR team the last row in the hall. In videos that were widely circulated after Naatu Naatu’s Oscar win, RRR’s director SS Rajamouli and his team were seated in the final row, while MM Keeravani and Chandra Bose were seated in front along with the other Oscar nominees. “Why were they sitting at the back,” asked a fan. “It’s a disgrace why rrr team is sitting at back,” commented another on a post by The Hollywood Reporter.

SS Rajamouli was accompanied by his wife Rama, son SS Kartikeya, and the other family members. Ram Charan was accompanied by his wife Upasana Kamineni, while Jr NTR attended the event without his family.

Jr NTR and Ram Charan featured in the original video of the Oscar-winning song Naatu Naatu. Earlier, a section of the internet was quick to show its disappointment over the lack of representation during the Naatu Naatu Oscar performance as all the dancers, who performed with Kaala Bhairava and Rahul Sipligunj, were not from India.