Oscars 2023: MM Keeravani's Carpenters reference in acceptance speech leads to unintentional hilarity

Every year, during the Oscars, there is usually a lot of talk around the acceptance speeches by the winners. From extremely emotional to awfully awkward speeches—the Oscars stage has seen it all. In 2009, when AR Rahman became the first Indian composer to win an Oscar, he concluded his speech with the now-iconic Tamil phrase, Ella Pugazhum Iraivanukke (All perfect praise belongs to God alone). It was a matter of pride for Indians across the globe as Rahman chose to speak his mother tongue on a much-revered international venue.

On Monday, when 'Naatu Naatu' from RRR made history by becoming the first song from an Indian production to win the Best Original Song award, all eyes (and ears) were on composer MM Keeravani's speech. And as it turned out, the veteran came up with his own version of 'Top of the World', a classic by the popular American band, The Carpenters." I grew up listening to The Carpenters, and now here I am with the Oscars", he said, before he started singing playfully.

In a bizarre turn of events, many media outlets misinterpreted Keeravani's speech and mistook his Carpenters reference for professional carpenters. Some even put out headlines that read, 'Keeravani grew up listening to the songs of carpenters'. This has led to severe trolling on social media, with many pointing out the need for the media to be more responsible.

Apart from RRR's win, there was another moment of glory for India at this year's Oscars when The Elephant Whisperers was named the Best Documentary Short. Directed by Kartiki Gonsalves and produced by Guneet Monga, it is the country's first film to win in the category.