Ms Athaiya, who won an Oscar for her work on the 1983 epic film Gandhi, passed away peacefully in her sleep, her daughter Radhika Gupta said.
Costume designer Bhanu Athaiya, India’s first Oscar winner, died at her home on Thursday after a prolonged illness, her daughter said. She was 91 years old.
Ms Athaiya, who won an Oscar for her work on the 1983 epic film Gandhi, passed away peacefully in her sleep, her daughter Radhika Gupta said.
The last rites took place at the Chandanwadi crematorium in South Mumbai. “He passed away early this morning. Eight years ago, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. For the past three years, she was bedridden because one side (of her body) was paralyzed, her daughter said.
Kolhapur-born Athaiya, who worked until just five years ago, began her career as a costume designer in Hindi cinema with Guru Dutt’s superhero “CID” from 1956. She went on to work on more than 100 films.
He won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design in Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi, with Ben Kingsley as Mahatma, along with John Mollo. Mahatma Gandhi’s lavish biopic swept the Oscars with eight awards.
“It’s too good to believe. Thank you to the Academy and thank you to Sir Richard Attenborough for focusing world attention on India,” Athiaya said in her acceptance speech at the Academy Awards.
In 2012, Ms. Athaiya returned her Oscar to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for safekeeping.
In an interview for PTI, the veteran designer had said she has no regrets about returning the award.
“I have wanted this for some time. I want to thank the Academy for helping me. Many Oscar winners in the past have returned their Oscars to keep them safe. It’s a tradition at the Academy ”, he had said.
Apparently, Ms. Athaiya was concerned about the safety of the trophy. He had previously donated “a huge collection of ‘Gandhi’ related items to the Academy.
Recalling the moment her name was announced, Athaiya had said that other nominees had told her that she was one of the nominees for the best costume award.
“I was sitting in the audience with the other nominees in my category. They all told me they had no chance of winning the Oscar. They told me my canvas was huge, so I would definitely win the award. In my mind, I had told myself that I had done everything I could, that I had done justice to Gandhiji’s name and to the freedom movement.
“When they called me by my name, I didn’t get carried away. I calmly went up on stage and thanked Sir Richard and the Academy. When I went backstage, I was surprised to see that there were so many photographers taking pictures. But it was a great feeling. I was happy, “he said.
The veteran who defined the aesthetics of Hindi cinema through her prolific work, she created some of Bollywood’s most memorable looks, including Vyjayantihmala in “Aamrapaali,” Waheeda Rehman in “Guide” and Zeenat Aman in “Satyam Shivam Sundaram.”
One of the most respected names in the film industry, Ms. Athaiya also worked with prominent filmmakers like Yash Chopra. And in a career spanning more than five decades, he won two national awards: for Gulzar’s mystery drama “Lekin” (1990) and the period film “Lagaan” directed by Ashutosh Gowariker (2001).
Things didn’t change much after the Oscar win, he had said in 2010. The costume department remained a neglected part of the Indian film industry.
“Costumes play a very important role in making a movie look real and believable, but Indian filmmakers have never given it its due importance and today the trend is just to go shopping abroad and put things together. In my opinion, that’s not the right thing to do, “he had said at the launch of his book” The Art of Costume Design “published by Harper Collins at the time.
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