Bhanu Athaiya
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 .
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 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]
