With a shiny, golden trophy already in hand, we take a quick look at what RRR’s Golden Globe win means for its chances across categories in the awards race leading up to the Academy Awards.

With the 80th annual Golden Globes coming to a close, the awards race gets tighter with The Fabelmans, The Banshees of Inisherin and Everything Everywhere All At Once securing multiple wins across various categories.

SS Rajamouli’s RRR did India proud with its Best Original Song win for MM Keerevani’s Naatu Naatu but lost out to Argentina, 1985 in the Best Foreign Film category.

What does this mean for how RRR will fare at the Oscars though? 

Fresh from its success at the Globes, RRR now moves on to the Academy Awards. However, for reasons that exist solely in the minds of the Film Federation of India, RRR will not be India’s official entry at the Oscars and is therefore ineligible to compete in the Best International Feature category. That honour lies with Pan Nalin's Gujarati drama Chhello Show or The Last Film Show.

Fret not, the dream isn’t dead.

This isn’t the end for RRR’s run at the Oscars.

Though the film won’t be competing in the International Feature category (which might I add, it stood the best chance of winning this year given the flimsy competition), it could potentially make it through to the other categories.

How? 

Though the power to submit a singular film for the International Feature Category from India, for example, rests solely with the Film Federation of India; the filmmakers and producers are free to submit their films for consideration in other categories at the Oscars.

This essentially means Rajamouli & Co can compete at the Oscars under other categories - namely, Best Original Song, given Naatu Naatu’s inclusion in the Oscar shortlist as well as its trajectory-boosting win at the Globes.

But what about other categories?

Before we go any further, let’s get something clear:

A film cannot win an Oscar for a category unless it submits itself for consideration under that category. For instance, if RRR does not submit itself for Best Cinematography, it cannot be nominated; let alone win the Oscar for Best Cinematography. 

The US distributor for the film, Variance Films, has revealed that RRR has been submitted for

• Best Picture,
• Best Director (SS Rajamouli),
• Best Original Screenplay (Rajamouli and KV Vijayendra Prasad),
• Best Actor (for both NT Rama Rao Jr and Ram Charan),
• Best Supporting Actor (Ajay Devgn),
• Best Supporting Actress (Alia Bhatt),
• Best Original Song (Naatu Naatu),
• Best Original Score (MM Keeravaani),
• Best Cinematography,
• Best Production Design,
• Best Film Editing,
• Best Costume Design,
• Best Hair & Makeup,
• Best Sound, and
• Best Visual Effects.

Since the Academy has already announced the longlists of a few categories, what we know for sure is that RRR will not be nominated for any of the following categories:

• Best Original Score
• Best Sound
• Best Hair & Makeup
• Best Visual Effects

Given the state of the awards race (the competition is THAT strong), RRR does not really stand a chance of being nominated under any of the following acting categories either:

• Best Supporting Actor
• Best Supporting Actress
• Best Actor

This leaves the following technical categories:

• Best Costume Design
• Best Production Design
• Best Film Editing
• Best Cinematography

And the following “above-the-line” categories:

• Best Original Screenplay
• Best Director
• Best Picture

Which means that there are SIX potential categories for RRR to bag a nomination under, apart from Best Original Song. The film’s performance under the other categories will alone determine whether or not it can receive a seventh and final nomination - Best Picture.

Our honest opinion

According to our analysis of this year’s awards race, though RRR getting in for Best Picture would make history, the chances for that happening are really quite slim. However, given its recent win at the Globes and Hollywood’s steady preoccupation with the film, we do believe that RRR’s chances at securing at least a single Oscar win have been considerably strengthened. 

The final verdict

Though inevitably it may not meet expectations of those back in India, rooting for all the Oscars possible, in all likelihood, RRR won’t be coming home empty-handed from the Academy Awards (provided it manages to secure those nominations in the first place).

We’ll have better clarity on its odds at winning an Oscar once the Academy announces the 2023 nominations later this month, on January 24. Fingers crossed until then.

For the best picture (pun intended) on how the awards season determines the winners at the Oscars, have a look at our immersive story: How To Win An Oscar.

The 95th annual Academy Awards are scheduled to take place on March 12, 2023, in Los Angeles, US.