The first Oscar winning costume designer Bhanu Athaiya passes away at 91 on Thursday. Athaiya was diagnosed with a tumour in her brain, eight year ago. The last rites took place at the Chandanwadi crematorium in South Mumbai.
The 1982 film Gandhi made Bhanu Athaiya won the Best Costume Design Oscar for her work in the film. She managed to give the characters in the Richard Attenborough directorial an authentic look. In her memoir ‘The Art of Costume Design’, Athaiya mentioned how she was the only Indian among the heads of department on the film.
According to Bhanu Athaiya’s daughter Radhika Gupta, “Since the last three years, she was bedridden because she was paralysed from one side”.
Bhanu Athaiya was well-known in the Bollywood industries for her dressing sense. She has designed costumes for movies like C.I.D, Pyaasa, Kagaz Ke Phool, Waqt, Arzoo, Amrapali, Suraj, Teesri Manzil, Mera Saaya, Guide, Inteqam, Abhinetri, Johny Mera Naam, Geeta Mera Naam, Shikar, Abdullah, Karz, Ek Duuje Ke Liye, Nikaah, Raat Aur Din, Agneepath (1990), Ajooba and 1942 – A Love Story and many more.
Early life of Bhanu Athaiya
Bhanu Athaiya was born in Kolhapur on April 28, 1929, later, shifted to Mumbai. She never went to fashion school to learn designing. During an interview, she said- My work is way to express myself and let my imagination soar. She always felt fulfilled while working in films; I never had to do anything else like open a boutique. My work was appreciated by big stars, they would approach me and also recommend me to other producers. Biggest fan of my designs was Nargis.
Athaiya also worked in the international films such as Conrad Rook’s daring Siddhartha and Krishna Shah’s Indo-American production Shalimar. There was also the German short film The Cloud Door. Banu Athaiya returned her Oscar to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for safe-keeping in 2012.