TAILOR-MADE TO PERFECTION

Seldom do stories of women like Bhanu Athatya break cover..A new exhibition is finally shedding light on the Oscar-winning costume designer’s brilliance

- PRATIKSHA ACHARYA

Words PRATIKSHA ACHARYA he first ever movie that I saw in the theatre was Lagaan in 2003. Between Ashutosh Gowariker's spellbinding filmography, A.R. Rahman's music compositions and Aamir Khan's stellar acting, four-year-old me was floored and absolutely taken by the magic of celluloid. A few years down the line, as I prepared to dance to Ghanan Ghanan at the school's annual program, my instructions to my mother, who was in charge of getting us ready for the performance, were simple: I wanted to ace the village belle aesthetic and look exactly like Gracy Singh's Gauri. As time passed by and I delved further into the artistry that goes on behind the scenes of a blockbuster, I finally got acquainted with Bhanu Athaiya's work.

As a costume designer to the stars and with a career that spanned over six decades, Athaiya was an enigma and a force to reckon with in the industry. She also happened to design the costumes for Lagaan, something that stayed etched in my memory. However, she was very lowkey. So lowkey, in fact, that most people probably still don't know that she was the first ever Indian to be bestowed the Oscar for Best Costume Design in 1983 for Richard Attenborough's Gandhi. Yes, that Gandhi that we have probably seen at least once in our lives.