Her real and full name is “Bhanumati Annasaheb Rajopadhye”. She is a famous Indian Costume Designer who worked in more than 100 movies in her career. Since the 1950s, she worked with famous film-makers like Guru Dutt, Raj Kapoor, Yash Chopra, Ashutosh Gowarikar, along with International Directors that are Conrad Rooks and Richard Attenborough.

Though A.R. Rahman, Resul Pookutty, and Gulzar have also won the Oscar Awards in the year 2009. However, she is still the only Indian woman to win an Oscar Award till date. She won her one and only Oscar Award as a ‘Costume Designer’ for the movie “Gandhi” Directed by Lord Richard Attenborough.

Apart from this, she was nominated twice in Oscar Awards for her Costume Designs but didn’t get the award for it. Both the movies are the year 2001 release, Amir Khan Starrer ‘Lagaan’ and year 2004 release, Shah Rukh Khan starrer ‘Swades’. Her some initial works which made her famous as a costume designer were Pyaasa, Chaudhvi Ka Chand, and Saheb Biwi Aur Gulam.

In December 2012, she decided to return her honor of Oscar Award, after she found out that she is diagnosed with a deadly disease ‘Brain Tumor’. As, she felt after she is gone the safest place for keeping the Award, would only be the Academy. She also won two National Film Awards in the year 1991 and 2002, for movie Lekin and Lagaan respectively. In the year 2009, she was honored with ‘Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award’, and in the year 2013, she received ‘Laadli Lifetime Achievement Award’.

Her first film as a Costume Designer was Guru Dutt’s ‘C.I.D.’ in the year 1956, and till now her last movie was Ashutosh Gowariker, ‘Swadesh’ released in the year 2004.