Mumbai: Bhanu Athaiya, who had won the Oscar for her costume designs in Sir Richard Attenborough’s 1983 biopic on Gandhi, passed away in her sleep here on October 15. The 91-year-old was suffering from brain tumour and other age-related issues. She was cremated at Chandanwadi crematorium here.
Athaiya was India’s first Oscar winner. She had shared the 55th Academy Award with British designer John Mollo. Both had worked together to design the costume for the 1983-film Gandhi. Much later in 2013, she had disclosed that actress Simi Garewal had pushed her to do Gandhi. “In those days I didn’t have a phone, she’d ferry messages between me and Richard Attenborough,” she had said.
Born on April 28, 1929 in Kolhapur, she had worked as costume designer in over 100 films since the 1950s. Some of the most memorable films besides Gandhi, where she worked as costume designer include C.I.D, Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam, Siddharth, Pyasa, Chaudhvin Ka Chand, Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Prem Rog, Ram Teri Ganga Maili, Mr. Natwarlal, Suhaag, Razia Sultan, Rocky, Chandni, 1942: A Love Story, Agnipath, Swades and Lagaan.
She also won two National Film Awards, in 1991 and 2002.
– globalbihari bureau
