Oscar 2023: From AR Rahman To Satyajit Ray, Here¡¯s A List Of Indians Who Won The Academy Awards

The Academy Awards are one of the most coveted global events that celebrate films and their creators across the world. Over the years some of the finest works have received Oscars and it won¡¯t be wrong to say that every showbiz creator wishes to reach that feat. As the 95th edition of this esteemed award concludes, here¡¯s a look at the times when India brought home the Oscars:-

ILN

Bhanu Athaiya brought home India¡¯s First Oscar

Ace designer Bhanu Athaiya wrote history after winning an Oscar for Best Costume Design in 1983. She won the award for the film Gandhi which was a historical drama based on the life of Mahatma Gandhi. Athaiya back then said that the win was too good to believe and thanked director Richard Attenborough for ¡°focusing world attention on India¡±.

File

For the unversed, Athaiya is also a proud recipient of two National Awards for Gulzar¡¯s Lekin (1990) and Ashutosh Gowariker¡¯s Lagaan.

Veteran artist Satyajit Ray accepted this prestigious award from a hospital bed.

A filmmaker who envisioned cinema like no one else, Satyajit Ray won an oscar award at the 64th Academy Awards in 1992. Ray was given an Honorary Award for his lifetime of achievement in filmmaking. Although he couldn¡¯t reach LA to receive the award in person but interacted via a video message from his hospital bed.

¡°It¡¯s an extraordinary experience for me to be here tonight to receive this magnificent award, certainly the best achievement of my moviemaking career,¡± Ray said. Less than a month after receiving the Oscar, Ray passed away on 23 April 1992 at the age of 70. He was further honoured with Bharat Ratna, India¡¯s highest civilian honour in 1992.

Also Read: Oscars 2023 Full Winners List! A Look At All Projects That Won Big At The 95th Academy Awards

File

Resul Pokutty Witnessed History As His Project Won Eight Of The Ten Categories It Was Nominated In.

Slumdog Millionaire directed by Danny Boyle was a film that earned global recognition. A story about a child from the streets of Mumbai, went on to rule the winning streak of Oscars in 2009. Among all other winners, Indian sound designer Resul Pookutty was awarded Best Sound Mixing along with his British counterparts Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke.

The Mozart of Madras - AR Rahman became the only Indian to win two Academy Awards.

At the 2009 Oscars itself, popular musician AR Rahman became the first Indian to win two Academy Awards for Slumdog Millionaire. He won the award for Best Original Score and Best Original Song - Jai Ho. His other song from the film ¡±O Saaya¡± was also nominated in the Best Original Song category.

File

The Winner Of Several National Awards, Gulzar won an Oscar in 2009.

Gulzar shared his Oscars with AR Rahman in the Best Original Song category as he wrote the lyrics of Jai Ho. Nearly a decade later in 2019, Gulzar told the media, ¡°It was because of A R Rahman the song won the award. Although Sukhwinder Singh also contributed to making the song a hit by putting a lot of energy into it.¡±

¡°Overall, I would say we all agree that it was because of the music maestro A R Rahman that the song won the coveted prize.¡± Other than that Gulzar won a Grammy for the same song in 2010 and holds 20 Filmfare Awards in his name.

Also Read: Music Maestro AR Rahman¡¯s Old Video Of ¡®Brewing Music¡¯ Is A Nostalgia All 90s' Kids Deserve

Instagram

A two-time Oscar-winning producer Guneet Monga first bagged this coveted award in 2019.

It was in 2019 that a documentary titled Period. End of a Sentence, set in Uttar Pradesh¡¯s Hapur district, won an award for Best Documentary (Short Subject). It was produced by Guneet Monga¡¯s Sikhya Entertainment and directed by the Iranian-American director Rayka Zehtabchi.

Kartiki Gonsalves won an Oscar for her directorial debut documentary.

Guneet Monga again won the esteemed award in 2023 that she shared with Kartiki Gonsalves for The Elephant Whisperers. Based on a real-life story of a couple who took care of an orphan elephant baby, the duo won in the Best Documentary Short Film category.

AFP

Naatu Naatu song from RRR became the first feature film to bring INDIA's first ever Oscar in the Best Song Category.

In the Best Music (Original Song), this peppy track from SS Rajamouli¡¯s movie won a historic feat at the 95th Academy Awards. Penned by Chandrashekhar Bose and tuned by MM Keeravani, the song featured Ram Charan and Jr NTR in their dancing shoes.

Twitter

(For more news and updates from the world of celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment, and let us know your thoughts on this story in the comments below.)