Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel TipsTravel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel TipsTravel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips
  • Home
  • Travel News
  • Travel Guides
  • Travel FAQs
  • Destinations
  • Diaspora Stories
  • Immigration
  • Exclusive
Font ResizerAa
Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel TipsTravel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips
Font ResizerAa
  • Home
  • Travel News
  • Travel Guides
  • Travel FAQs
  • Destinations
  • Diaspora Stories
  • Immigration
  • Exclusive
Search
  • Home
  • Travel News
  • Travel Guides
  • Travel FAQs
  • Destinations
  • Diaspora Stories
  • Immigration
  • Exclusive
Follow US
© Foxiz News Network. Ruby Design Company. All Rights Reserved.
Bhanu Athaiya Oscar, Costume designer Bhanu Athaiya films, Bhanu Athaiya biography
News

Sneak Peek into Epic Journey of India’s First Oscar Winner Bhanu Athaiya who Remained Unsung till Her Death

Indian Eagle
03/03/2025

Bhanu Athaiya, the first Indian to be awarded an Oscar way back in 1983, took her last breath in October 2020 in Mumbai. Though she was the first to have brought the coveted Academy Award home, she remained unsung in the shadow of Slumdog Millionaire that swept away eight Oscars, including for three Indians – AR Rahman, Gulzar and Resul Pookutty – in 2009. The costumes she had designed for the leading cast of Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi, a biographical blockbuster based on the life of Mahatma Gandhi, earned her the Academy Award for Best Costume Design in 1983.

What many people may not know is that Bhanu Athaiya returned her Oscar trophy to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2012, because she thought that no one in her family would be able to take care of her most prized possession after she was no more.

Bhanu Athaiya Oscar, Costume designer Bhanu Athaiya films, Bhanu Athaiya biography

Bhanu Athaiya’s journey from a freelance fashion illustrator for women’s magazines to an award-winning costume designer in the golden period of Indian Cinema to the first-ever Indian Oscar winner makes her a larger-than-life persona. In 1956, Guru Dutta’s C.I.D starring Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman was her first great leap from designing outfits for a boutique to designing costumes for big banner films.

It was none other than Bhanu Athaiya who designed costumes for Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan, one of the three Indian films to have received an official nomination for Oscars. It led to her being the principal costume designer for Swades, another magnum opus by Ashutosh Gowariker. Celebrity designer Bhanu Athaiya’s treasure trove of achievements includes two National Awards for Best Costume Design: one for Lagaan and the other for Lekin directed by Gulzar.

Since her foray into Bollywood with Guru Dutt’s classics including C.I.D, Pyaasa, Kaagaz Ke Phool, Chaudhvin Ka Chand, and Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam, she went on to design clothes of actors for five decades. Other than Guru Dutt and Ashutosh Gowariker, she worked with some of the most celebrated filmmakers including Raj Kapoor, Yash Chopra, Ketan Mehta, Subhash Ghai, and Vidhu Vinod Chopra. She was a favorite of Raj Kapoor. She dressed the actors of Shree 420, Sangam, Mera Naam Joker, Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Prem Rog, Henna, and Ram Teri Ganga Maili among the Raj Kapoor productions.

Bhanu Athaiya Oscar Gandhi, Bhanu Athaiya costume designer
Picture Credit: Firstpost.com | Prinseps (Bhanu Athaiya with actor Ben Kingsley and director Richard Attenborough at the 1983 Oscars)

India’s first Oscar for Gandhi (1982) recognized not only Bhanu Athaiya as the most talented costume designer, but also the country’s rich, versatile tapestry. Her costume designs spoke volumes about the diversity, richness of India’s social fabric ranging from bucolic charm to urbane romanticism to cosmopolitan haute couture to middle-class fashion. The way she donned the garb of a master craftswoman for such period sagas as Amrapali, Meera, Razia Sultan, 1942: A Love Story, Gandhi, and Lagaan is a legacy to be cherished by next-gen designers.

In 1929, Bhanu Athaiya was born as Bhanumati Annasaheb Rajopadhye with an artistic bent of mind. As her father was a painter, she happened to make art her passion at a tender age. She was a gold medalist in fine arts from Mumbai’s JJ School of Art. A decade before Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi came her way and catapulted her to the global spotlight, she worked with Conrad Rooks’ Siddartha in 1972.

Bhanu Athaiya was the first Indian to have debunked the myth that costume designing is all about glamour. Her costume designs were authentic to the era and its sensibilities that a film, period or drama, depicts.

Also Read: Oscar-nominated ‘Anuja’ Stars 9-year-old Sajda from Streets of Old Delhi

Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Ad image

Find Us on Socials

Popular Posts

Scandinavian airlines news, Scandinavian airline destinations, SAS flights to India in 2026 Copenhagen Airport transit
With Its Return to India in 2026, Scandinavian Airlines will Connect USA and Mumbai; All You Need to Know
News
Emirates Airlines news, Emirates new economy class seats, Emirates economy flights, economy class travel experience
Emirates Airlines is Working on New Economy Class Seats with Better Height for Long-Haul Flights
News
Who is Varun Mohan, Windsurf CEO Varun Mohan, Google DeepMind Varun Mohan, Google Vs OpenAI - Varun Mohan
Who is Varun Mohan? Windsurf CEO who Rejected OpenAI’s $3bn Offer to Join Google for $2.4bn
News
Air India fleet, Air India A350-900 flight review, best Air India aircraft, safest aircraft US to India travel
What is Best and Safest Aircraft in Air India Fleet for USA to India Flights?
FAQs
July 2025
M T W T F S S
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031  
« Jun    

More Such Stories for You

Indian Eagle flights discount, Indian Eagle discount coupon code, flight discount giveaways, cheap flights to India, $50 discount flight tickets to India
News

US-India Flights Discount Giveaway: Grab $50 Coupons to Save More on Your Travel

4 Min Read
US Visa integrity fee for non-immigrants, US DHS news, US visa news for Indians
News

USA Brings Visa Integrity Fee for Nonimmigrants Including Indians: Check if $250 is Waivable or Refundable

5 Min Read
Navi Mumbai airport facilities, Navi Mumbai airport sightseeing Lonavala, D B Patil airport updates
News

Navi Mumbai Airport to Offer Mumbai Street Food, Local Sightseeing Tours, Other Cultural Experiences

5 Min Read
Balaji Srinivasan, Network School, Indian American entrepreneurs, Indian startup founders in USA, Tamil Indians in USA
News

Who is Indian American Balaji Srinivasan? An Entrepreneur who Buys an Island to Build a Startup Nation

5 Min Read
Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips

Travel Beats is an Indian Community portal by IndianEagle, a leading travel organization for Indians in USA. Travel Beats celebrates the achievements of young Indians and publishes exclusive stories from the US and India. It also publishes the latest news about Indian Americans from different walks of life and lists upcoming Indian events in USA. It also shares updates from US-India airlines. To be precise, Travel Beats is a consistent effort by IndianEagle to bridge between Indians in America and India.

Resources

  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Indian Eagle
  • Share With Us

© 2025 IndianEagle LLC. All rights reserved.

    Designed and developed by Indianeagle  

Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?