'Naatu Naatu' winning the Golden Globes award has been described by many commentators and Netizens as a "vindication of song and dance style of Indian movies which stalwarts like Mani Ratnam defended religiously."
While 'Naatu Naatu' winning the prestigious award is a special moment for Indian cinema, let's not go overboard. The immense talent of Indian music directors, dance choreographers and singers doesn't need to be validated by Westerners. India has a rich musical tradition and the legacy is far greater in terms of depth than what Hollywood has achieved.
Our musical greats like AR Rahman have composed far superior music for decades. Even big-budget Marvel movies fail to come up with novel background scores these days in Hollywood.
If Oscars/Golden Globe Awards recognize songs like 'Jai Ho' (from 'Slumdog Millionaire') and 'Naatu Naatu', it is not because they are the rare songs that have outdone American music. It's because they are the rare songs that caught their attention. Many Indian songs are better than the Indian songs Americans fete.
Real validation for our songs comes from our masses, not Western elites.
