Costume designer Bhanu Athaiya, India’s first Oscar winner, died at her home on Thursday after prolonged illness, her daughter Radhika Gupta said. She was 91. Athaiya, who won an Oscar for her work in the 1983 epic film Gandhi. She had a prolific career in India, working on some 200 films, including Bollywood classics such as 1965’s Guide and 1980’s Karz (Debt). A trained fashion illustrator, she began designing costumes for films in the 1950s.
