Bhanu Athaiya

Bhanu Athaiya
Born	Bhanumati Annasaheb Rajopadhye (1929-04-28)28 April 1929 Kolhapur, Kolhapur State, British India
Died	15 October 2020(2020-10-15) (aged 91) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Occupation	Costume designer
Years active	1956–2004
Spouse(s)	Satyendra Athaiya (separated)
Children	1
Awards	Academy Award for Costume Design (1983) for Gandhi National Film Award for Best Costume Design (1991) for 1991: Lekin... National Film Award for Best Costume Design (2002) for Lagaan

Bhanu Athaiya (née Annasaheb Rajopadhye; 28 April 1929 – 15 October 2020) was an Indian costume designer. She worked on over 100 films, with Indian filmmakers such as Guru Dutt, Yash Chopra, B.R. Chopra, Raj Kapoor, Vijay Anand, Raj Khosla, and Ashutosh Gowariker; and international directors such Conrad Rooks and Richard Attenborough. She was the first Indian to win an Academy Award, winning one for costume design for Gandhi in 1982 .

Biography[]

Athaiya was born in Kolhapur in Maharashtra of British India. She was the third of the seven children born to Annasaheb and Shantabai Rajopadhye. Athaiya's father, Annasaheb was a painter. He died when Athaiya was nine years old.^[1]

Athaiya died on 15 October 2020 from complications of brain cancer at a medical center in South Mumbai, aged 91.^[2]

Career[]

Athaiya started her career as a freelance fashion illustrator for various women's magazines in Bombay, including the 'Eve's Weekly'. Later when its editor opened a boutique, she asked Athaiya to try designing dresses, here upon she discovered her flair for designing clothes. Her success as a designer soon led to her switching career paths. Her career began by designing clothes for Guru Dutt's films, starting with C.I.D. (1956). She soon became a part of the Guru Dutt team.^[3]

She made her debut as a film costume designer with the film C.I.D. in 1956,^[4] and followed it up with other Guru Dutt films such as Pyaasa (1957), Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960) and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962). In her career spanning 50 years she has received numerous awards. She won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design (shared with John Mollo) for her work in the 1982 film, Gandhi. She became the first Indian to win an Academy Award.^[4][5] She also won two National Film Awards, in 1991^[6] and 2002.^[7]

In a career spanning over 100 films, she worked with Indian filmmakers such as Guru Dutt, Yash Chopra, B.R. Chopra, Raj Kapoor, Vijay Anand, Raj Khosla, and Ashutosh Gowariker, and international directors such Conrad Rooks and Richard Attenborough.^[8][9][10]

In March 2010, Athaiya released her book The Art of Costume Design, published by Harper Collins.^[11] On 13 January 2013, Athaiya presented a copy of the book to the Dalai Lama.^[12][13]

On 23 February 2012, it was reported that Athaiya wished to return her Academy Award to The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences because she felt that her family will not be able to take care of the trophy after her demise.^[14] On 15 December 2012, it was confirmed that the trophy had been returned to The Academy.^[15]

In April 2021, as part of the New York Times “Overlooked No More” series of obituaries that were not written at the time of the person's passing (in this case, October 2020), Anita Gates wrote an obituary of Athaiya. In it, Athaiya is quoted about her work on Gandhi: “Richard Attenborough was making a complex film and needed someone who knew India inside out,” Athaiya told Eastern Eye, a British weekly newspaper, in an interview published last year. “So much had to be contributed, and I was ready for it.”^[16]

Awards and nominations[]

Filmography[]

Source(s): ^[21]

See also[]

• List of Indian winners and nominees of the Academy Awards

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bhanu Athaiya.

• Bhanu Athaiya at IMDb
• Filmography at The New York Times