The Academy Awards, also recognized as Oscars, first met India in 1957, when Mehboob Khan’s Mother India was reportedly nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category. Since then, films such as Lagaan and Salaam Bombay have been nominated for Best Foreign Language Film. About the fact that no Indian film has received an Academy Award, there are personalities who have made the country proud. Here is the list of Indian perosnalities who bagged Oscar.
1.Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray, a revolutionary filmmaker, produced several great works for Indian cinema. Across both Indian and Bengali cinema, the renowned filmmaker made headlines. His first film, Pather Panchali, received several national and international awards, including the Cannes Film Festival’s Best Human Document award in 1955. Ray received an Honorary Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in 1992 from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Since the director was unable to attend due to his illness, he delivered his victory speech via live stream.
2. Gulzar
Gulzar, whose real name is Sampooran Singh Kalra, is a well-known lyricist who received an Oscar for Best Original Music, wrote the song “Jai Ho,” which caused a worldwide stir and earned A.R.Rahman his second Oscar. In 1963, he received his initial break as a lyricist, writing for Bimal Roy’s Bandini. Gulzar has received the Dadasaheb Phalke Honor, the Grammy Award, the National Film Awards, and a number of other esteemed honours.
3. A.R. Rahman
For his output in the British-Indian film Slumdog Millionaire, music composer A.R. Rahman became the first Indian to be eligible in three categories at the Academy Awards. The maestro made headlines when he won two awards: one for the original score and the other for the song Jai Ho. For the films 127 hours and If I Rise, the composer was earlier listed in the Best Original Score classification.
4. Resul Pookutty
Slumdog Millionaire’s performance helped Indian actors gain international exposure. At the 81st Academy Awards, sound engineer Resul Pookutty won the prestigious award for Sound Mixing, making India proud. Along with Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke, he was named the winner of the award. In contrast to British films, Pookutty has also served in Hindi, Tamil, and Malayalam.
5. Bhanu Athaiya
For the 1982 historical drama Gandhi, Bhanu Athaiya, affectionately known as the Oscar lady, is a renowned costume designer, received India’s first Academy Award. The designer collaborated with prominent personalities such as Guru Dutt, Yash Chopra, Raj Kapoor, B.R. Chopra, Vijay Anand, and Raj Khosla across over 100 films. Ashutosh Gowariker, amongst others. Conrad Rooks and Richard Attenborough were among the international celebrities with whom she collaborated.