A picture of Bhanu Athya.
Bhanu Athaiya became the first Indian to win an Academy Award for designing the costumes for Richard Attenborough's Gandhi (1982).

Several Indian individuals and films have received or been nominated for the Academy Awards (also known as the Oscars) in different categories. As of 2023, 20 Indians have been nominated and 10 have won Oscars including in the scientific and technical category.

At the 30th Academy Awards, Mehboob Khan's 1957 Hindi-language film Mother India was India's first submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film category.[1] It was nominated alongside four other films and lost to the Italian film Nights of Cabiria (1957) by one vote.[2][3] In 1982, The National Film Development Corporation of India was instrumental in co-producing Richard Attenborough's biographical film Gandhi.[4][5] At the 55th Academy Awards, Bhanu Athaiya became the first Indian to win an Academy Award for designing the costumes.[6] Ravi Shankar was nominated for Best Original Score for the same film.[7] As of 2023, three Indian films have been nominated for Best International Feature—Mother India, Salaam Bombay! (1988) and Lagaan (2001).

In 1992, legendary Bengali filmmaker Satyajit Ray was bestowed with an Honorary Academy Award, becoming the only Indian to date to receive the honour.[8] Resul Pookutty and A. R. Rahman won the Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing and Best Original Score, respectively, for the 2008 British film Slumdog Millionaire. Rahman also won for Best Original Song alongside lyricist Gulzar for the song "Jai Ho",[9] becoming the first Indian to date to have won more than one Academy Award. Rahman also holds the record for most nominations for an Indian with five total nominations to date, followed by Ismail Merchant with four nominations (three for Best Picture and once for Live Action Short).

At the 95th Academy Awards, three different Indian productions received Oscar nominations, with both RRR (feature film) and The Elephant Whisperers (Documentary short film) winning their respective categories and thus becoming the first Indian full length feature film and first Indian Documentary short film to win the Oscars.[10] Several Indians and Indian Americans have received the Oscars in the technical category like Rahul Thakkar, Cottalango Leon and Vikas Sathaye.

Honorary awards

A portrait of Satyajit Ray.
India's only Oscar Honorary Academy Award recipient (in 1992) director Satyajit Ray (Born in Kolkata, Bengal, now West Bengal, into a Bengali Hindu Kayastha family of Mymensingh, Bengal, now Bangladesh). He received this award for his lifetime achievement in Bengali cinema.
Honorary awards
Year Recipient Note Ref.
1992
(64th) 		Satyajit Ray "In recognition of his rare mastery of the art of motion pictures, and of his profound humanitarian outlook, which has had an indelible influence on filmmakers and audiences throughout the world." [11]
[12]

Competitive Awards

Competitive awards
Year Nominee(s)/recipient(s) Film Category Result Ref.
1958
(30th) 		Mother India Mother India Best Foreign Language Film Nominated [2]
1961
(33rd) 		Ismail Merchant The Creation of Woman Best Short Subject (Live Action) Nominated [13]
1969
(41st) 		Fali Bilimoria The House That Ananda Built Best Documentary (Short Subject) Nominated
1978
(50th) 		Ishu Patel Bead Game Best Animated Short Film Nominated [14]
1979
(51st) 		K. K. Kapil An Encounter with Faces Best Documentary (Short Subject) Nominated [15]
1983
(55th) 		Bhanu Athaiya Gandhi Best Costume Design Won [16]
Ravi Shankar Best Original Score Nominated
1987
(59th) 		Ismail Merchant A Room with a View Best Picture Nominated [17]
1989
(61st) 		Salaam Bombay! Salaam Bombay! Best Foreign Language Film Nominated [18]
1993
(65th) 		Ismail Merchant Howards End Best Picture Nominated [19]
1994
(66th) 		The Remains of the Day Nominated [20]
2002
(74th) 		Lagaan Lagaan Best Foreign Language Film Nominated [21]
2005
(77th) 		Ashvin Kumar Little Terrorist Best Short Subject (Live Action) Nominated [22]
2009
(81st) 		Resul Pookutty Slumdog Millionaire Best Sound Mixing Won [23]
Gulzar
(Lyrics) 		Best Original Song (For "Jai Ho") Won
A. R. Rahman
(Music) 		Won
Best Original Score Won
Best Original Song (For "O... Saya") Nominated
2011
(83rd) 		127 Hours Best Original Score Nominated [24]
Best Original Song (For "If I Rise") Nominated
2013
(85th) 		Bombay Jayashri
(Lyrics) 		Life of Pi Best Original Song (For "Pi's Lullaby") Nominated [25]
2020
(92nd) 		Smriti Mundhra St. Louis Superman Best Documentary (Short Subject) Nominated [26]
2022
(94th) 		Rintu Thomas
Sushmit Ghosh 		Writing with Fire Best Documentary Feature Nominated [27]
2023
(95th) 		M. M. Keeravani (Music)
Chandrabose (Lyrics) 		RRR Best Original Song (For "Naatu Naatu") Won [28]
Kartiki Gonsalves
Guneet Monga 		The Elephant Whisperers Best Documentary (Short Subject) Won
Shaunak Sen
Aman Mann 		All That Breathes Best Documentary Feature Nominated
2024
(96th) 		Nisha Pahuja To Kill a Tiger Best Documentary Feature Film Nominated

Scientific and technical awards

Scientific and technical awards
Year Nominee(s)/recipient(s) Category Note Ref.
2016 Rahul Thakkar[a] Academy Award for Technical Achievement Shared the award with Richard Chuang [30]
Cottalango Leon[b] Shared the award with Sam Richards and J. Robert Ray [31]
2018 Vikas Sathaye[c] Shared the award with John Coyle, Brad Hurndell and Shane Buckham [33]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ For his "groundbreaking design" of DreamWorks Animation Media Review System.[29]
  2. ^ For "the design, engineering and continuous development" of Sony Pictures Imageworks itView technology.[29]
  3. ^ For "the concept, design, engineering and implementation" of the Shotover K1 Camera System.[32]

References

  1. ^ "Before Gully Boy, these Indian films were sent to the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film Category". News18. 10 February 2020. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  2. ^ a b "The 30th Academy Awards (1958) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011.
  3. ^ Alikhan, Anwar (28 February 2016). "And the Oscar nearly goes to…". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 5 July 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  4. ^ Wakeman, John. World Film Directors, Volume 2. The H. W. Wilson Company. 1988. 82.
  5. ^ "Film producer D.V.S. Raju passes away". The Hindu. 14 November 2010. Archived from the original on 2 November 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  6. ^ "Bhanu Athaiya: Costume designer who won India's first Oscar dies". BBC. 15 October 2020. Archived from the original on 14 December 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  7. ^ Arunachalam, Param (2 April 2016). "Bollywood Retrospect: From 'Pather Panchali' to 'Gandhi', 5 spellbinding albums of Pandit Ravi Shankar". Daily News and Analysis. Archived from the original on 29 September 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  8. ^ "Acceptance Speeches: Satyajit Ray". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 20 October 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
  9. ^ "sharm, Pookutty, Gulzar in 8 Slumdog Oscars". Outlook. 23 February 2009. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  10. ^ "AR Rahman celebrates 10 years of Oscar victory, says he 'starved' to look slim at the event". The Economic Times. 5 February 2019. Archived from the original on 27 January 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  11. ^ "Acceptance Speeches: Satyajit Ray". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 20 October 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  12. ^ Gargan, Edward (16 February 1992). "FILM; Satyajit Ray Honored, Without Profit in His Land". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  13. ^ "The 33rd Academy Awards (1961) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
  14. ^ "The 50th Academy Awards (1978) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 5 September 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  15. ^ "The 51st Academy Awards (1979) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2013.
  16. ^ "The 55th Academy Awards (1983) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 5 September 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  17. ^ "The 59th Academy Awards (1987) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
  18. ^ "The 61st Academy Awards (1989) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  19. ^ "The 65th Academy Awards (1993) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 2 January 2017. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
  20. ^ "The 66th Academy Awards (1994) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 29 April 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
  21. ^ "The 74th Academy Awards (2002) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 9 November 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  22. ^ "The 77th Academy Awards (2005) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 1 January 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2013.
  23. ^ "Nominees and Winners for the 81st Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 10 November 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  24. ^ "Winners and Nominees for the 83rd Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  25. ^ "Nominees for the 85th Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 14 October 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  26. ^ "Nominees for the 92nd Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 25 February 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  27. ^ "Nominees for the 94th Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 1 April 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  28. ^ "Nominees for the 95th Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  29. ^ a b McNary, Dave (8 January 2016). "Academy Honors 33 Individuals With Scientific and Technical Awards". Variety. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  30. ^ "Mumbai varsity graduate wins Oscar for design". The Hindu. 21 January 2016. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  31. ^ Preetha, M. Soundariya (26 January 2016). "Techie, born in T.N., wins Academy Award". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 26 January 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  32. ^ "Techie, born in Maharashtra, wins Academy Award". The Economic Times. 12 February 2018. Archived from the original on 20 March 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  33. ^ Bari, Prachi (15 February 2018). "And the Oscar goes to...Pune engineer Sathaye for smart camera equipment". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 8 February 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2020.

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