My Oscar speech was short and sweet: Bhanu Athaiya

Legendary costume designer Bhanu Athaiya, who made history after winning the first Oscar for India for her work in the Ben Kingsley starrer ‘Gandhi’, has released an insightful book encapsulating her 50 years in the film world.

Ms Athaiya’s book `The Art of Costume Design’ (Publisher: Harper Collins), which has been recommended by none other than Gandhi’s iconic director Richard Attenborough, is divided into nine chapters that span the designer`s early days in Kolhapur, her arrival in Mumbai, her meeting with Guru Dutt to the awards and accolades she won. In an exclusive interview with Shivangi Singh of Spicezee.com, Bhanu Athaiya shared her feelings about when she held the Academy Award, filmmaker Guru Dutt, film industry and other books she plans to write. Q: Please tell us about the book and what can a reader expect from it… A: My book is a pictorial journey of more than 50 years of cinema in India through my work as a costume designer. Q: What inspired you to write this book? A: I have been working on costumes for cinema for over 50 years and I felt the need to educate the public about what costumes are all about and what goes into it. People also kept telling me that it was high time I put my book together and so, finally, it happened. Q: Yours has been a long and fascinating journey from costume designing to writing… A: Since I started work, I have had beautiful associations with film directors from cinema who gave me the opportunity to work on a variety and range of subjects. Then, they allowed me to create costumes to suit those films and to work with the best actors in the business to give life to my ideas. So, these experiences I felt would make good reading for people. Q: What makes a good costume designer A: A good costume designer needs to have a good background in art, culture and life. All these three things would enable the designer to draw the right ingredients to make the suitable costumes that would suit the characters in the films. One cannot just go to an institution and ‘learn’ something in a few years. In any case, there are no full-fledged institutions in India that teach costume designing specifically. There are only institutions that teach fashion designing and fashion designing is certainly not costume designing. Q: You created history by bringing home the first Oscar trophy for ‘Gandhi’. How did it feel? A: ‘Gandhi’ is a study of a well-known Indian personality. The Oscar for costumes was earned by doing meticulous research and study and also having a deep understanding and knowledge of Indian culture and history. With all this put together, the film created history itself and has become a timeless classic, relevant even today. On receiving the Oscar, I was proud that my work was appreciated. I had done my job, but whether they had appreciated it or not, I was not sure. This award cleared all doubts. My Oscar speech was short and sweet – ‘Thank you Sir Attenborough for focusing world attention on India. Thank you Academy.’ ‘Gandhi’ is an epic film based on a true story that changed the course of history of the world. It is the story of a man who chose the path of non-violence and went on to influence the world and continues to influence the world and world leaders such as Barack Obama. Q: Which yesteryear actress did you like designing for and which contemporary actress do you think is the perfect muse for you and why? A: This is a tough question to answer as all my actresses were my favourites for different reasons. They all had grace, charm, elegance and all of them were great actresses who gave me space to do my work and had full faith that, even as I remained true to the story and its demands, I would bring out the best in them. I have not worked with too many of today’s heroines. Today, one rarely finds a heroine who can convey the emotions that will capture the hearts of the audience. The only one who comes to mind is Tabu. Q: What’s your impression of Guru Dutt as an individual and as an artist? A: Guru Dutt was a sensitive and soft-spoken man. That was his most important quality. It was that sensitivity that entered into his craft as an actor as well. He was able to convey so much with less drama and that is what made him a great actor. Q: Which is your favourite film, in which you designed costumes for the stars? A: Not just one. Over more than 5 decades, I must have designed for more than a 100 films! Even my favourite costumes can go over up to a 100 choices! It is not easy for me to make such a clear and precise claim that I may like one film or costume over the other. Q: Do you plan to write a book on your experiences as a costume designer in the film industry? A: My life and work have been more than just the film world – there has been work in the theatre world, advertisements, calendars. I am contemplating doing a book about all of this. Q: What’s coming from you next? A: A few more books, one Marathi film and other projects are in the pipeline that I cannot talk about at this stage. Q: Your message to our readers? A: Work hard and develop the power to observe. My studies and interest in life and culture and people around enabled me to reach great heights in my field.