Wednesday, March 4th, 2026

India’s first Oscar winner Bhanu Athaiya passes away



NEW DELHI: Celebrated Bollywood costume designer Bhanu Athaiya, India’s first Oscar winner, has died at the age of 91, Indian media reported.

She was bedridden in recent years after being diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2012, her family said. She died peacefully in the city of Mumbai.

Athaiya was renowned for designing costumes for top filmmakers in a career that spanned nearly five decades.

She shared an Oscar for her work on a biopic about Mahatma Gandhi in 1983.

The invitation by British filmmaker Richard Attenborough to work on the film about the Indian independence leader shot her to global prominence. She shared the award for the Best Costume Design with acclaimed British designer John Mollo.

(With inputs from Agencies)

Publish Date : 16 October 2020 12:57 PM

Economic Digest: Nepal’s Business News in a Snap

KATHMANDU: Economic Digest offers a concise yet comprehensive overview of

Kathmandu sees rise in initial minimum temperature to 13.6°C

KATHMANDU: With winter ending and the pre-monsoon season approaching, temperatures

NRB publishes today’s foreign currency exchange rates

KATHMANDU: Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has published the foreign exchange

High-pressure system brings haze to Terai, partial clouds in hills

KATHMANDU: A high-pressure system in the upper atmosphere is currently

Israel launches fresh strikes on Iran

TEL AVIV: Israel has carried out a new wave of