Tributes were paid to costume designer Bhanu Athaiya, who became the first Indian to win an Oscar. She died after prolonged illness.
Athaiya won the Academy Award in the Best Costume Design category at the 1983 Oscars for her work in Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi. She also won a BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design for the film. Athaiya is also a two-time National Award winner for costume designing in Lekin (1991) and Lagaan (2001).
In a career spanning nearly five decades, Athaiya worked with numerous feted filmmakers including Raj Kapoor, Kamal Amrohi, Guru Dutt, Yash Chopra, BR Chopra, Vijay Anand, Raj Khosla, Gulzar, Ketan Mehta, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Subhash Ghai, and Ashutosh Gowariker. Athaiya began her career as a costume designer in Hindi cinema with Guru Dutt’s 1956 superhit C.I.D., and went on to work in over 100 films.
After creating history by winning the Oscar for Gandhi along with John Mollo, she said in her acceptance speech: “It’s too good to believe. Thank you Academy and thank you Richard Attenborough for focusing world attention on India.” Her achievements brought glory to Indian cinema and pride to the entire Country.