Indian Oscar Winners

History

The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the oldest and most prestigious film awards in the world. The first Academy Awards ceremony was held on 16 May 1929 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel — a private banquet lasting just 15 minutes. The award statuette is officially named the Academy Award of Merit but nicknamed "Oscar" — a name whose origin is disputed (commonly attributed to Academy librarian Margaret Herrick, who reportedly said the figure resembled her uncle Oscar). The statuette depicts a knight holding a crusader's sword, standing on a reel of film with five spokes representing the five original branches of the Academy: Actors, Directors, Producers, Technicians, and Writers.

Awarded By

The Oscars are awarded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), founded in 1927 and headquartered in Beverly Hills, California, USA. The Academy has over 10,000 voting members drawn from 17 branches of the film industry (directors, actors, cinematographers, composers, etc.). Each branch nominates in its own category, and all members vote for Best Picture. The ceremony is held annually, usually in March, at the Dolby Theatre, Hollywood.

The Statuette

The Oscar statuette stands 13.5 inches (34 cm) tall and weighs 8.5 pounds (3.9 kg). It is made of britannium (an alloy of tin, antimony, and copper), electroplated in copper, then nickel, then gold. During World War II (1943–1945), statuettes were made of painted plaster due to metal shortages and later replaced with gold-plated versions. Each statuette costs approximately $400 to manufacture.

India & the Oscars

• First Indian winner: Bhanu Athaiya (Best Costume Design, 1983) — also first Asian woman
• Most wins by an Indian: A.R. Rahman — 2 Oscars in one night (2009)
• India's official submission for Best International Feature Film since 1957 — never won
• Only Honorary Oscar to an Indian: Satyajit Ray (1992 Lifetime Achievement)
• India's most Oscar-winning film: Slumdog Millionaire (3 Indian winners, 8 Oscars total in 2009)
• Largest haul in one year: 2009 — Rahman (×2), Gulzar, Pookutty = 4 wins by Indians