Designing Dreams
by Bhanu Athaiya
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This is an interview with Bhanu Athaiya, the renowned Indian costume designer and painter who became the first Indian to win an Academy Award (Oscar), for Best Costume Design for 'Gandhi' (1983). She reflects on her craft and her journey in a male-dominated industry. She explains that costume design is different from fashion design: rather than making clothes 'beautiful and glossy', it is 'the art of shaping the look of a character so that it truly suits the story of the film'. A gold medallist from the JJ School of Arts, she moved from being a fashion illustrator at 'Eve's Weekly' into cinema, streamlining the design process by working closely with the director's vision. She speaks of the research behind period films (such as the British regiment uniforms in 'Lagaan'), her book 'The Art of Costume Design', and her belief that 'work comes first' and that people must 'listen to the heart' and pursue their true vocation. As a woman, her real breakthrough came with independence at seventeen; she advises women to find their vocation young, 'work hard, be good at what you do', focus on the craft, and urges parents to notice and nurture their children's aptitudes.
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'Designing Dreams' is an interview with Bhanu Athaiya, the celebrated Indian costume designer who was the first Indian to win an Oscar (for 'Gandhi', 1983). She reflects on the art of costume design, her remarkable career, and her experience of succeeding in a male-dominated industry.
The Oscar and the craft
Speaking of 'Gandhi', which won her the Oscar, Athaiya says the award had never crossed her mind, for her, the real challenge was 'authentically portraying a story that unfolds over fifty years'. She distinguishes costume design from fashion design: fashion design focuses on clothes that are 'beautiful and glossy', while costume design is 'the art of shaping the look of a character so that it truly suits the story of the film'.
Her journey and method
A gold medallist from the JJ School of Arts, Athaiya worked as a fashion illustrator at 'Eve's Weekly', where her sketches were noticed, before joining cinema. She streamlined the earlier haphazard process by listening carefully to 'the director's vision', creating a sketch, meeting the actor and then finalising the outfit.
Her work spans regional, Indian and international cinema and theatre. For period films, where references are hard to find, she buys 'lots of books from abroad', research that, for instance, equipped her to design the British regiment uniforms in 'Lagaan'. She has also written a book, 'The Art of Costume Design'.
Work, passion and vocation
On balancing work and life, Athaiya is clear: 'work comes first'. She believes that 'if people are born for a particular purpose, they must pursue it and give their vocation everything they have; else the world will be the loser'. Everyone, she says, must 'listen to the heart'.
A woman in a man's world
As a woman breaking into a male-dominated field, Athaiya says 'people believed in me'. Her real breakthrough came with independence: moving to Bombay at seventeen, she took a part-time job and told her mother to stop sending money. 'When a woman is self-sufficient, she gains the freedom to make her own choices.'
She advises women to find their vocation young and give it their best: 'Work hard, be good at what you do and you will get noticed.' Rather than seeking the spotlight, she focuses on the craft, 'letting the work find its own voice'. Finally, she urges parents to notice and nurture their children's aptitudes and expose them to a wide range of experiences, so that 'children need to discover themselves'.