In the world, many awards are given in the field of cinema, but the significance of Oscar is considered second to none in the field of entertainment. Though India is yet to make its presence known across the world of international cinema, Indian cinematic is acquainted with the prestigious Oscar awards, otherwise known as academy awards. At the 30th Academy Awards, India's first submission for Best International Feature Film category was Mehboob Khan's 1957 Hindi-language film, Mother India. Though it became the first Indian film to be nominated for an Oscar, it was defeated by the Italian film Nights of Cabiria (1957). India’s next stint with Oscars came into light, when Bhanu Athaiya became the first Indian to win an Oscar for designing the costumes at the 55th Academy Awards.
This article highlights the names of 5 Indians who have won the Oscars and made our country proud.
Bhanu Athaiya - Best Costume Design
Bhanu Athaiya won an Academy Award for "Best Costume Design" for her work in the movie Gandhi (1982). She has worked on more than 90 films and has worked with many prolific Indian filmmakers, including the likes of Guru Dutt, Yash Chopra, B.R. Chopra, Raj Kapoor, Vijay Anand, Raj Khosla, Ashutosh Gowariker, and so on. On international projects, she worked with directors like Conrad Rooks (Siddhartha, 1972) and Richard Attenborough (Gandhi, 1982). Apart from that, two of her artworks were encompassed in the 1953 Progressive Artists' Group show in Bombay.
Satyajit Ray - Honorary Award
Considered as one of the finest directors of Indian and Bengali cinema, the legacy of Satyajit Ray remains unmatched even today. At the 64th Academy Awards, in 1992, Satyajit Ray was awarded with an Honorary Oscar for Lifetime Achievement by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Though he could not attend the ceremony personally due to his ill health, his video message was shown at the ceremony in the Dolby Theatre. Satyajit Ray gave the speech in a hospital bed with an Oscar statuette in his hand and described it to be an extraordinary experience for him. The ceremony was held in 1992 on March 30 and on April 23, Satyajit Ray took his last breath, which was less than a month later.
Resul Pookutty - Best Sound Mixing
An Indian film sound designer, sound editor, and audio mixer, Resul Pookutty received an Oscar at the 81st Academy Awards in 2009 for his work in the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire. He was awarded the prestigious Oscar award for best sound mixing along with Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke. Apart from Hindi, Tamil, and Malayalam language films, he has worked in British films.
A R Rahman - Best Original Score and Best Original Song
The great music composer who needs no introduction, A R Rahman is a legend and one of India's most respected music directors. He was awarded with the Padma Bhushan in 2010 by the Indian Government, which is the nation's third-highest civilian award. A.R. Rahman won two awards at the Oscars, one for the original score and the other for the song "Jai Ho" in 2009 for the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire. In 2011, he again got nominated twice for the movie 127 Hours at the academy awards. Apart from Academy Awards, A R Rahman has won several awards, including National Film Awards, Grammy Awards, BAFTA Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Filmfare Awards, and Filmfare Awards South.
Gulzar- Best Original Song
A famous personality who needs no introduction, Gulzar Sahab is an Indian poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, and film director. He won an Oscar for "Best Original Song" for "Jai Ho” at the 81st Academy Awards. Starting his career in 1963 with music director S.D. Burman as a lyricist for the film Bandini, Gulzar Sahab has worked with several music directors, namely R. D. Burman, Salil Chowdhury, Vishal Bhardwaj, and A. R. Rahman. Apart from writing poetry, dialogues, and scripts, he has directed films like Aandhi, Mausam, and so on. Apart from Academy Awards, he has also won various prestigious awards such as Indian National Film Awards, Filmfare Awards, Grammy Awards, and more. In 2004, he was awarded with the Padma Bhushan, which is the third-highest civilian award in India and in 2013, he was awarded with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, which is the highest award in Indian cinema.
