Ram Charan claims he was “completely prepared” to perform Naatu Naatu at the Oscars but never received a call.

The 95th Oscars should feature a performance by Ram Charan on the Naatu Naatu song, which won an Academy Award. During the ceremony on Sunday in Los Angeles, dancers of various ethnic backgrounds performed to the upbeat song that was being sung live on stage at the Dolby Theatre by vocalists Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava.

Charan praised the dance group for their “fantastic” performance. “I was completely prepared for that call, but I have no idea what transpired. However, let’s avoid discussing it because the group that performed it there was excellent and did a greater job than we did, remarked Ram.

“I’ve performed for India so many times and on so many stages; now it’s time for us to unwind, enjoy the performance, and watch someone else do it. I believe it has become India’s song and is no longer our song. On the occasion, he added, “It’s the people that brought us to the carpet. After winning the Best Original Song Oscar, the song Naatu Naatu—originally starring Charan and Jr. NTR in the SS Rajamouli-directed historical action movie—made history. The composer MM Keeravaani and lyricist Chandrabose accepted the award.

The Oscar victory for the movie is merely “another feather in the hat,” according to Charan, because the real success comes from the audience’s love, which he considers to be the greatest reward.

“I was only lucky to be present for that celebration. We have been witnessing events of that nature. I have loved the Academy since I was a young child. But nothing is more important than the theatre and its patrons; it is my greatest honour. My biggest award is what India gave us; everything else was just another feather in my cap, he claimed.

According to the actor, Naatu Naatu’s victory is a testament to the entire Indian cinema industry. “It is such a privilege… What this recognition did to us—not to us, but to India—was to give directors and technicians from Satyajit Ray to Rajamouli recognition. “This is a special recognition that our industry has received, therefore it was our duty to do more than merely stand in for it. Even though it was a burden, I was just taking it all in. That was more significant than becoming anxious over the honour. The greatness of filmmaker Rajamouli and “his great team of MM Keeravani and Chandrabose,” according to Charan, has been recognised by the Academy and its voters as well as by fans of good cinema.