Bhanu started her career as an artist in Mumbai while still studying at JJ School of Art. Later she became a member of the
Progressive Artists' Group and exhibited with them. She continued her part-time stint as a freelance fashion illustrator for women's magazine like "Eve's Weekly" and "Fashion & Beauty". while at the JJ School of Art. Later when the Eve's Weekly editor opened a boutique, she asked Athaiya to try designing dresses, hereupon she discovered her flair for designing clothes. Her success as a designer soon led to her switching career paths. Her costume designing career began by designing clothes for
Guru Dutt's films, starting with
C.I.D. (1956). She soon became a part of the
Guru Dutt team. She made her debut as a film costume designer with the film
C.I.D. in 1956, and followed it up with other
Guru Dutt films such as
Pyaasa (1957),
Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960) and
Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962). In her career spanning 50 years she has received numerous awards. She won the
Academy Award for Best Costume Design (shared with
John Mollo) for her work in the 1982 film,
Gandhi and became the first Indian to win an
Academy Award. She also won two
National Film Awards, in
1991 In March 2010, Athaiya released her book
The Art of Costume Design, published by
HarperCollins. On 13 January 2013, Athaiya presented a copy of the book to the
Dalai Lama. On 23 February 2012, it was reported that Athaiya wished to return her Academy Award to the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences because she felt that her family will not be able to take care of the trophy after her demise. On 15 December 2012, it was confirmed that the trophy had been returned to The Academy. In April 2021, as part of the
New York Times "Overlooked" series of obituaries that were not written at the time of the person's death (in this case, October 2020), Anita Gates wrote an obituary of Athaiya. In it, Athaiya is quoted about her work on
Gandhi: "
Richard Attenborough was making a complex film and needed someone who knew India inside out," Athaiya told
Eastern Eye, a British weekly newspaper, in an interview published last year. "So much had to be contributed, and I was ready for it." An exhibition titled "People of Mumbai", at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMV), Mumbai, showcases Bhanu Athaiya’s contributions to Modern Art and Indian cinema through a display of both her art and costume designs. Among the exhibits is the famous orange saree-dress worn by actress Mumtaz in
Brahmachari (1968), a look that became emblematic of 1960s Bollywood style. The display included a rare work on Canvas from her
Progressive Artists' Group days, loaned by Prinseps. ==Personal life==