Bhanu Athaiya facts for kids

Quick facts for kids 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
Education	Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy School of Art
Occupation	Costume designer and Painter
Years active	1947–2015
Movement	Bombay Progressive Artists' Group
Spouse(s)	Satyendra Athaiya
Awards	Usha Deshmukh Gold Medal - JJ School of Art (1951) for Lady In Repose Academy Award for Costume Design (1983) for Gandhi Nominated for BAFTA Award for Best 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 (born Bhanumati Rajopadhye; 28 April 1929 – 15 October 2020) was a famous Indian costume designer and painter. She made history by becoming the first Indian person to win an Academy Award.

Bhanu Athaiya was well-known for her amazing work in Bollywood films. She designed costumes for over 100 movies. Before becoming a costume designer, she was a talented artist. She worked alongside famous artists like M. F. Husain. She was also the only woman in a special art group called the Bombay Progressive Artists' Group.

Bhanu Athaiya helped create the look for many popular Indian films. Some of her famous movies include C.I.D. (1956), Pyaasa (1957), Guide (1965), Lagaan (2001), and Swades (2004). She also worked on international films, like Siddhartha (1972) and Gandhi (1982).

For the movie Gandhi, Bhanu Athaiya won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design. This was a huge achievement! She was also nominated for a BAFTA Award for her work on Gandhi.

Early Life and Education

Bhanu Athaiya was born in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, in British India. She was one of seven children. Her father, Annasaheb, was an artist and photographer. He worked on films and taught himself art. Sadly, her father passed away when Bhanu was only 11 years old.

She studied art at the Sir J J School of Art in Mumbai. In 1951, she won a special award there. It was called the Usha Deshmukh Gold Medal. She won it for her artwork titled 'Lady In Repose'.

Gold Medal Awarded by JJ School of Art in 1951 - Verso

Gold Medal Awarded by JJ School of Art in 1951 - Recto

Becoming a Costume Designer

Bhanu Athaiya started her career as an artist in Mumbai. She was still studying at the JJ School of Art at the time. She joined the Progressive Artists' Group and showed her art with them.

She also worked part-time as a fashion illustrator. She drew fashion pictures for magazines like "Eve's Weekly". The editor of "Eve's Weekly" later opened a clothing store. She asked Bhanu to try designing dresses. This is how Bhanu discovered her talent for designing clothes.

Her success in fashion design led her to change her career path. She began designing costumes for films. Her first film was C.I.D. in 1956. She soon became a key part of director Guru Dutt's film team.

Amazing Film Career

Bhanu Athaiya's first film as a costume designer was C.I.D. in 1956. After that, she worked on many other films with Guru Dutt. These included Pyaasa (1957) and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962).

Her career lasted for 50 years. During this time, she won many awards. She won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design in 1982 for the movie Gandhi. She shared this award with John Mollo. This made her the first Indian person to win an Academy Award. She also won two National Film Awards in India.

She worked with many famous Indian filmmakers. These included Yash Chopra, Raj Kapoor, and Ashutosh Gowariker. She also worked with international directors like Richard Attenborough.

In 2010, Bhanu Athaiya wrote a book called The Art of Costume Design. It was published by Harper Collins. In 2013, she gave a copy of her book to the 14th Dalai Lama.

In 2012, Bhanu Athaiya decided to return her Academy Award. She felt her family might not be able to care for the trophy after she was gone. The trophy was returned to The Academy in December 2012.

Personal Life

Bhanu married a lyricist and poet named Satyendra Athaiya in the 1950s. She changed her name to Bhanu Athaiya in 1959. Satyendra passed away in 2004.

Bhanu Athaiya passed away on October 15, 2020, in Mumbai. She was 91 years old. She is survived by her daughter, Radhika Gupta.

Awards and Nominations

Filmography

Source(s):

See also

• List of Indian winners and nominees of the Academy Awards