---
name: "Bhanu Athaiya"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/bhanu-athaiya"
fi1m_id: "bhanu-athaiya"
imdb_id: "nm0040390"
tmdb_id: 231355
wikidata_id: "Q539765"
roles: ["Costume designer"]
born: "28 April 1929"
died: "15 October 2020"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-17T23:36:21.080173+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Bhanu Athaiya

## Identity

Bhanu Athaiya

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/bhanu-athaiya
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** bhanu-athaiya
- **IMDb ID:** nm0040390
- **TMDB ID:** 231355
- **Wikidata ID:** Q539765
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhanu_Athaiya, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q539765, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0040390/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/231355

Costume designer. Born 28 April 1929 in Kolhapur, India. Died 15 October 2020.

## Details

- **Work:** Costume designer
- **Born:** 28 April 1929, Kolhapur, India
- **Died:** 15 October 2020
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhanu_Athaiya, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q539765, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0040390/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/231355

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Gandhi*](https://film.one/film/gandhi.md) (73)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Bhanu Athaiya was an Indian costume designer and painter. Born Bhanumati Annasaheb Rajopadhye on 28 April 1929 in Kolhapur, she studied at the Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy School of Art in Mumbai. She began her career as a fashion illustrator before moving into film costume design.

Athaiya designed costumes for more than 100 films over six decades. Her early work included *C.I.D.* (1956), *Pyaasa* (1957) and other Guru Dutt productions. She is best known for her designs on *Gandhi* (1982), for which she shared the Academy Award for Best Costume Design with John Mollo, becoming the first Indian Oscar winner. Later credits include *Lagaan* (2001) and *Swades* (2004). She received National Film Awards for *Lekin...* (1990) and *Lagaan*.

Athaiya was also a painter associated with the Bombay Progressive Artists' Group. She died in Mumbai on 15 October 2020.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, nytimes.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Gandhi* (1982), Fi1m 73, Costume design — [page](https://film.one/film/gandhi.md)

## Complete filmography (40)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Swades* (2004), Costume Design
- *Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India* (2001), Costume Design
- *Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar* (2000), Costume Design
- *Henna* (1991), Costume Design
- *Ajooba* (1991), Costume Design
- *Lekin...* (1990), Costume Design
- *The Khayal Saga* (1989), Costume Designer
- *Ram Teri Ganga Maili* (1985), Costume Design
- *Gandhi* (1982), Costume Design — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/film/gandhi.md)
- *Prem Rog* (1982), Costume Design
- *Adventures of Ali-Baba and the Forty Thieves* (1980), Costume Design
- *Mr. Natwarlal* (1979), Costume Design
- *Rahu Ketu* (1978), Costume Design
- *Farishta Ya Qatil* (1977), Costume Design
- *Chakkar Pe Chakkar* (1977), Costume Design
- *Alaap* (1977), Costume Design
- *Ab Kya Hoga* (1977), Costume Designer
- *Kacha Chor* (1977), Costume Design
- *Kabeela* (1976), Costume Design
- *Do Anjaane* (1976), Costume Design
- *Prem Kahani* (1975), Costume Design
- *Himalay Se Ooncha* (1975), Costume Designer
- *Siddhartha* (1972), Costume Design
- *Ek Bechara* (1972), Costume Design
- *Johny Mera Naam* (1970), Costume Design
- *Abhinetri* (1970), Costume Design
- *Rootha Na Karo* (1970), Costume Design
- *Jahan Pyar Miley* (1969), Costume Design
- *Brahmachari* (1968), Costume Design
- *Dil Aur Mohabbat* (1968), Costume Design
- *Amrapali* (1966), Costume Design
- *Waqt* (1965), Costume Design
- *The Guide* (1965), Costume Designer
- *Janwar* (1965), Costume Design
- *Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam* (1962), Costume Designer
- *Gunga Jumna* (1961), Costume Design
- *The Full Moon* (1960), Costume Design
- *Kaagaz Ke Phool* (1959), Costume Design
- *Pyaasa* (1957), Costume Design
- *C.I.D.* (1956), Costume Designer

## Gallery

- ![Bhanu Athaiya](https://film.one/media/person/117800/gallery-6a33f756b4a1.jpg) Bhanu Athaiya — Aniruddha Gupta, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/Bhanu_Athaiya.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Bhanu Athaiya graduated with a gold medal and fellowship from Sir J J School of Art in 1953 after which she joined the Progressive Artists' Group for their thir (2022)](https://film.one/media/person/117800/gallery-a951612389c5.jpg) Bhanu Athaiya graduated with a gold medal and fellowship from Sir J J School of Art in 1953 after which she joined the Progressive Artists' Group for their thir (2022) — Ichatt4957, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/Bhanu-athaiya-j-j-school-gold-medal-1.jpg/1280px-Bhanu-athaiya-j-j-school-gold-medal-1.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Bhanu Athaiya graduated with a gold medal and fellowship from Sir J J School of Art in 1953 after which she joined the Progressive Artists' Group for their thir (2022)](https://film.one/media/person/117800/gallery-c86a0bb92e3b.jpg) Bhanu Athaiya graduated with a gold medal and fellowship from Sir J J School of Art in 1953 after which she joined the Progressive Artists' Group for their thir (2022) — Ichatt4957, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Bhanu-athaiya-j-j-school-gold-medal-2.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won

- 1983: Best Costume Design (won), for *Gandhi*

### Other awards — 1 won

- Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award 2009: Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/bhanu-athaiya