List of Indians Who Won Oscars Award
The Oscars Award or The Academy Awards! We can blindly bet that you have heard of this name. It is one of the most prestigious awards of United States and is granted to those who are recognized for their achievements and excellence in cinematic world. The Oscars award is hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science.
A Quick History of Oscars
The history of Oscars can be traced back to year 1929. The venue for its first presentation was Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Though Oscar was presented in 1929, the first public broadcast through radio took place in year 1930. It was 23 years later in 1953 that the Oscars found the inroads to television.
Oscars and Its Equivalents
The Academy Awards is THE OLDEST of all awards ceremony. It is awarded for cinematic excellence in the entertainment industry. However, cinema is not the only entertainment that one can think of. There is television, there is theater and then there is music as well. Each of these categories have equivalently prestigious awards. Here is a quick table to help you remember:
| Music | Grammy Awards |
| Theater | Tony Awards |
| Television | Emmy Awards |
| Cinema | Oscars Award or The Academy Awards |
Not Just USA…
Though Oscars originated in USA, it is not restricted to that country alone. It has spread out its wings on a global stage and now, cinema artists from all across the world eye for this particular award. One who wins this award considers it as a lifetime achievement – something of a legacy that cannot be forgotten even after death.
A Few Good to Know Oscars Facts
Since we are talking of Oscars, it is always good to know a few facts about this prestigious award. The table below will give some quick facts about the same. You may not need them for your career but consider them to be static General Knowledge that makes you a tad smarter than your peer.
| Facts Number | Oscar Awarded to | The fact that makes it special | Movie for which Oscar was awarded |
| 1 | Tatum O’Neal | At the age of 10, Tatum O’ Neal won the Oscar, making her the youngest artist to win this award | She was awarded the Oscar for the movie ‘Paper Moon’ |
| 2 | Christopher Plummer | At the age of 82, Christopher Plummer became the oldest man to win Oscar | He won the Oscar for the movie ‘Beginners’ |
| 3 | Liza Minnelli | She became the only actress winning Oscar whose both parents won Oscars | She won the Oscar for the movie ‘Cabaret’ |
| 4 | Kathryn Bigelow | She became the only person to win Oscar in best female director category | She won the Oscar for the movie ‘The Hurt Locker’ |
| 5 | Emil Jannings | He became the first actor to win Oscar for ‘Best Actor’ category | He won Oscar for two movies: ‘The Way of All Flesh’ and ‘The Last Command’ |
List of Indians who won Oscars
As we mentioned earlier, The Academy Awards is a global phenomenon today. People in cinema entertainment from all across the world get nominated for Oscars and some of them even manage to win the same.
India is no different. Bollywood and its actors and actresses have managed to leave a mark on the entire world. Many Indian cinemas, actors, actresses and directors have managed to get nominated for actors. But, not everyone managed to win the same. Only a handful of Indians have grabbed this prestigious award for their cinematic excellence. The list below gives a brief on every Indian who won the Oscars.
| Sno | Name | Movie | Year |
| 1 | Bhanu Athaiya | Gandhi | 1982 |
| 2 | Satyajit Ray | 1992 | |
| 3 | AR Rahman | Slumdog Millionaire | 2008 |
| 4 | Gulzar | Slumdog Millionaire | 2008 |
| 5 | Resul Pookutty | Slumdog Millionaire | 2008 |
Bhanu Athaiya
Bhanu Athaiya became the first Indian to win Oscar. She grabbed this prestigious award for her movie titled ‘Gandhi’. The movie was released back in 1982 and was a biopic on Mahatma Gandhi’s life. Athaiya won Oscar the same year. However, next year she won another award for the same movie. Only this time, it was for Best Costume Designer category and the award was given to her on 55th Ceremony of Academy Awards.
Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray won the Oscar in year 1992. He wasn’t awarded this prestigious award for any particular movie. Rather, he earned the award because of his excellence in many of his cinematic work that brought India and especially Bengali cinema to the forefront of the world stage. Some of his most famous works include Gupi Gayen and Bagha Bayen, Kanchanjanga, Nayak, Aparajito, Pather Panchali and more. Though Ray was awarded Oscar, he himself didn’t collect the award as he was bed-ridden by illness.
AR Rahman
This is a name no Indian can ignore. He won two Oscars for the movie Slumdog Millionaire. The awards were presented to him for Best Original Score and Best Original Song. He earned the Oscars in year 2008 and shared the Oscar for Best Original Score with another Indian, the famous Gulzar. It goes without saying that Rahman is one of the most popular music directors and composers not only in India but also on the global stage.
Gulzar
In Indian cinema, Gulzar is a legend. He won the Oscar in 2008 for the original score ‘Jai Ho’ that he wrote for the movie Slumdog Millionaire. As said earlier, he actually won the Oscar along with AR Rahman for Best Original Score. The Oscar was awarded to him and AR Rahman on the 81st Ceremony of the Academy Awards.
Resul Pookutty
May be most of you out there haven’t heard of this name. Without Resul Pookutty, Slumdog Millionaire would have been incomplete. Yes, you guessed it right. He won the Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire in the Best Sound Mixing category. Of course, just like Gulzar and Rahman, he was awarded with this prestigious award in 2008.
There have been many other nominations for from India for The Academy Awards. Of course they didn’t win the Oscar but being nominated for Oscar is also an achievement in itself. Those who won the award and those who were nominated have definitely made India proud.
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