AR Rahman, Guneet Monga, Gulzar To MM Keeravani: Meet The Indian Oscar Winners

The 96th edition of the Academy Awards is slated to be held on March 10 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles. Jimmy Kimmel is confirmed to host the ceremony for the second consecutive year, marking his fourth time as the prestigious event's host. The Oscars 2024 are scheduled for March 11, starting at 04:00 am IST. Viewers in India can tune in to watch the event live on Disney+Hotstar. This year's Best Actress category has narrowed down to a competition between Emma Stone and Lily Gladstone.

Continuing with tradition, last year's winners such as Brendan Fraser, Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Jamie Lee Curtis will grace the stage to present awards to the next wave of Oscar recipients. Joining this star-studded lineup are renowned figures including Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer, Zendaya, Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Lange, Nicolas Cage, Mahershala Ali, and numerous other luminaries from the film industry.

India made its debut submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film category at the 30th Academy Awards with Mehboob Khan's 1957 Hindi-language film, 'Mother India.' Despite being nominated alongside four other films, it lost to the Italian film 'Nights of Cabiria' (1957). Bhanu Athaiya became the first Indian to win an Academy Award for her costume design at the 55th Academy Awards. Below is a list of Indians who have received Academy Awards.

Indian Oscar Winners:

Bhanu Athaiya

She garnered an Academy Award for 'Best Costume Design' for her contributions to the film 'Gandhi' (1982). Her artwork was showcased in the 1953 Progressive Artists' Group exhibition in Bombay, featuring two of her pieces.

Satyajit Ray

Regarded as one of the most eminent directors in Indian and Bengali cinema, Satyajit Ray's influence continues to endure. At the 64th Academy Awards in 1992, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences bestowed upon Ray an Honourary Oscar for Lifetime Achievement. Due to his ill health, Ray was unable to attend the ceremony in person.

He gave the speech in a hospital bed with an Oscar statuette in his hand and said, "It’s an extraordinary experience for me to be here tonight to receive this magnificent award, certainly the best achievement of my moviemaking career. I have learnt everything about the craft of cinema from the making of American films. I’ve been watching American films very carefully over the years and I love them for how they entertain and then later, loved them for what they taught so I express my gratitude to the American cinema, towards the Motion Picture Association has given me this award and who made me feel so proud."

AR Rahman

Composer AR Rahman received two Oscars for his contributions to the film 'Slumdog Millionaire' in 2009, securing awards for both Best Original Score and Best Original Song 'Jai Ho'. In his speech, he said, "Before coming here I was excited and terrified. The last time I felt that way was when I was getting married. There is a Hindi dialogue, ‘mere pass ma hai’ which means, even if I have got nothing, I have my mother here. I want to thank her for coming all the way to support me."

Resul Pookutty

Resul Pookutty, a sound designer, achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first Indian to win the Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing for his work on the film 'Slumdog Millionaire' in 2009.

Gulzar

Gulzar, an esteemed lyricist and filmmaker, was honoured with the Academy Award for Best Original Song for his contribution to 'Jai Ho' from the film 'Slumdog Millionaire' in 2009, sharing the accolade with AR Rahman.

Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga

In 2022, Indian-American filmmaker Kartiki Gonsalves made her directorial debut with 'The Elephant Whisperers,' a short documentary. The film delves into the bond between a couple and Raghu, an orphaned baby elephant entrusted to their care. It went on to win the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Film at the 2023 Academy Awards.

MM Keeravani and Chandrabose

'Naatu Naatu' was awarded an Oscar for Best Original Song. MM Keeravani and Chandrabose, the composers of the acclaimed song, took to the stage to accept the trophy and commemorated the victory with a musical performance.

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