Oscar Awards are considered the highest and most prestigious recognition in the movie world. However, India has its misses and wins with the Oscars too, and the first Oscar award in India started with the nomination of Mother India for the Best Foreign Language film category in 1957. After that, several movies were nominated in India for Oscars. However, only a few individuals could win this award and make the country proud.
Today, let us know all the Indians who have won Oscar awards and the details. Are you excited? We, too, are! So, let’s get going and learn something new.
10 Indians Who Won Oscar Awards To Date (Male and Female):
Here is the list of five Indian males and females who have won Oscars to date. They have succeeded in different Oscars categories and made the country proud! Are you excited to know who they are? Why wait? Let us go ahead and learn all about India’s Oscar wins! Here is the list of Oscar award winners from India!
Oscar 2023 Winners from India:
MM Keeravani & Chandrabose:
MM Keeravani:
Veteran music composer-singer MM Keeravani, known for his stellar work in Telugu films like Baahubali, Annamayya and Criminal, won the Oscar for Best Original Song for the global sensation song “Naatu Naatu” from the Telugu film RRR at the 95th Academy Awards. Besides, he has also received Golden Globes, National Awards and several State and Filmfare Awards. He has also received India’s 4th highest civilian award, the Padma Shri, for his outstanding contribution to Indian cinema.
Chandrabose:
Chandrabose, a famous lyricist of Telugu cinema, won the Oscar for Best Song for “Naatu Naatu” with MM Keeravani. He Wrote about 3500 songs. He has also received several state and film awards for his excellent songwriting.
Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga:
Karthiki Gonsalves:
Karthiki Gonsalves, another Oscar winner from India, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film for her directorial debut ‘The Elephant Whisperers’, a story about the human-animal relationship between caretakers and orphaned baby elephant ‘Raghu’. She is a documentary filmmaker and photographer and one of the first women in India to be selected as the Sony Imaging Ambassador for the Sony Alpha series.
Guneet Monga:
Guneet Monga is another Oscar winner who has won two Oscars for Best Documentary Short Film, the first for ‘Period End of Sentence’ at the 91st Academy Awards in 2019 and the second for ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ at the 95th Academy Awards in 2022. She is a famous film producer not only in India but also worldwide. produced some notable films like Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 2, The Lunchbox, Masaan and the Oscar-winning short films: Period End of Sentence and The Elephant Whisperers. She also received the second highest French civilian honour “Chevalier Dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres” from the French government in 2021.
1. Bhanu Athaiya:
Did you know that Bhanu Athaiya is India’s first Oscar award winner? Bhanu Athaiya was nominated for costume designer for the drama Gandhi in 1982. She was a famous designer and fashion illustrator in the country by then, and her Oscar win was a big success. She contributed her works to over 100 movies and worked with eminent personalities like Yash Chopra, Raj Kapoor, Vijay Anand, Guru Dutt, and more. Bhanu Athaiya also won national awards for films such as Lagaan. She was even associated with International personalities post her win, such as Richard Attenborough. She will always be remembered as the first Indian to win an Oscar award!
2. Satyajit Ray:
Satyajit Ray is among the most famous film directors in the History of India. He is known for his work in Bengali cinema and is powerful with his artwork. Satyajit Ray’s first-ever film, PatherPanchali, has won national and international awards and even received recognition at the Cannes film festival in 1955. His works are notable and remembered even today. Did you know Satyajit Ray won Honorary Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in 1992? Yes, you heard us right! Although he could not attend the event physically due to ill health, his video message was displayed. International personalities often consider his work a piece of art with rare mastery. He sure is a revolutionary filmmaker and is among the Indian Oscar winners who made the country proud.
3. Resul Pookutty:
Another Indian who brought the Oscars to the country was Resul Pookutty. He tasted the success of the film Slumdog Millionnaire, which has received global recognition. Although the film was nominated for Best Pictures (Danny Boyle), Resul Pookutty has won the award in the category of Best Sound Mixing in the 81st Academy awards category. He won this award with Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke. Other notable works of ResulPookutty are Musafir, Zinda, Saawariya, Zinda, DusKahaniyaan and more. His sound mixing is truly inspirational and magical. If you did not hear his works yet, it is time you explore his notable tunes!
4. A R Rahman:
A R Rahman is a very great and notable music composer in India. He has his legendary songs and does not need any emphasis to note his wondrous works. A R Rahman won Oscar for India in the same year for the movie Slumdog Millionaire. He has won two awards, one for the original score and the other for the song ‘Jai Ho’ in 2009. In fact, he was the first Indian to be nominated in three Academy Awards categories. Besides Awards, he also won several other prestigious awards such as Grammy awards, BAFTA awards, Golden Globe, Filmfare, and National Film Awards. He even received Padma Bhushan in 2010 from the Government of India.
5. Gulzar:
Popularly known as Gulzar Sahab, Gulzar is notable for his works as a lyricist. He is a poet, author and film director and has won Oscar in the 81st academy awards among the other artists mentioned above. Gulzar Sahad won Oscar for Best original song, for ‘Jai Ho’. In addition, he also won several other prestigious awards in his lifetime, such as Filmfare, Grammy awards and National film awards, besides receiving Padma Bhushan in 2004 and; Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2013. Jai Ho movie, to date, is among the winning Indian movies that brought home several Oscars.
Oscar awards are considered prestigious, recognizing the talent in the movie world. India has got its wins from these 5 great personalities, and their works always remain inspiring. What are your thoughts on Oscar awards winners in India? We love to hear from you!
Which Indian Movies Have Been Nominated for Oscar so far?
So far, 3 Indian films have been nominated for an Oscar in the Best International Feature Film category: Mother India in 1957, Salaam Bombay in 1988 and Lagaan in 2001.
What Were the 95th Oscar Nominations from India?
At the 95th Academy Awards nominations, India was nominated for 3 different Oscar nominations namely Natu Natu from the film RRR for Best Original Song, All That Breathes for Best Documentary Feature Film and The Elephant Whisperers for Best Documentary Short Film.
