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Kerala media left red-faced after mistaking Oscar-winning Indian composer's Carpenters tribute for carpentry

Some Malayalam news channels and social media say the Naatu Naatu music composer grew up listening to the sound of carpentry

Published: Mon 13 Mar 2023, 8:56 PM

Updated: Thu 4 Jan 2024, 6:22 PM

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Chandrabose and M. M. Keeravani accept the Best Original Song award for 'Naatu Naatu' from 'RRR' onstage during the 95th Annual Academy Awards. — AFP

Chandrabose and M. M. Keeravani accept the Best Original Song award for 'Naatu Naatu' from "RRR" onstage during the 95th Annual Academy Awards. — AFP

While receiving the Academy Awards for the best original song on Monday, Indian music composer Keeravani became emotional and nostalgic. “I grew up listening to the Carpenters. And now, here I am, with the Oscars,” said the director of hugely popular ‘Naatu Naatu’ song from Telugu blockbuster RRR.

Indian media went overboard after Keeravani’s epic win. Social media and TV channels were full of congratulatory notes to the south Indian music composer, but a section of Malayalam news channels made a blunder after his speech.


Keeravani said he grew up listening to the American pop band ‘The Carpenters’. He even sang a few lines to the tune of the band’s popular song, ‘Top of the World’. “There was only one wish on my mind, so was Rajamouli's and my family's. RRR has to win, pride of every Indian and must put me on the top of the world."

However, some popular news channels in the Indian state of Kerala took the speech too literally. They took the name of the popular band as the word carpenters — woodworkers.

Most of the top news channels explained his words literally, saying he grew up listening to the sound of carpentry work in his neighbourhood. One channel even romanticised it adding that he picked up music from ‘the beats and tunes of carpenters’.

However, the channels realised their mistake within minutes and some of them removed the relevant social media posts. But it was too late as the viewers noticed the mistake and social media posts went viral with short videos of the blunder.

"These Malayalam media have no idea about Mr Keeravani's speech at the Oscars. Carpenters were an American voice duo. A simple google search was all they needed 🙏," a Twitter user said.

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