List of Indian Academy Award Winners and Nominees

The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prestigious awards in the global film industry. Over the years, several Indian films, filmmakers, and artists have received nominations and awards at the Oscars, showcasing the growing influence of Indian cinema worldwide.

As of recent years, more than 20 Indians have been nominated for Academy Awards, and several have won Oscars in different categories, including music, costume design, sound, documentary filmmaking, and technical achievements.

First Indian Film Nominated for an Oscar

The first Indian film nominated for an Oscar was Mother India (1957), directed by Mehboob Khan. It was nominated in the Best International Feature Film category at the 30th Academy Awards.

Although it narrowly missed winning the award, the film became an important milestone for Indian cinema at the global level.

Indian Films Nominated for Best International Feature Film

Year	Film	Director
1957	Mother India	Mehboob Khan
1988	Salaam Bombay!	Mira Nair
2001	Lagaan	Ashutosh Gowariker

List of Indian Oscar Winners

Year	Winner	Category	Film
1983	Bhanu Athaiya	Best Costume Design	Gandhi
1992	Satyajit Ray	Honorary Academy Award	Lifetime Achievement
2009	A. R. Rahman	Best Original Score	Slumdog Millionaire
2009	A. R. Rahman & Gulzar	Best Original Song	Jai Ho (Slumdog Millionaire)
2009	Resul Pookutty	Best Sound Mixing	Slumdog Millionaire
2023	Kartiki Gonsalves & Guneet Monga	Best Documentary Short Film	The Elephant Whisperers
2023	M. M. Keeravani & Chandrabose	Best Original Song	Naatu Naatu (RRR)

These achievements highlight the growing recognition of Indian talent in the global film industry.

Notable Indian Oscar Nominees

Several Indian artists and filmmakers have also received Oscar nominations, including:

• Ravi Shankar – Best Original Score nomination for Gandhi
• Ismail Merchant – Multiple nominations for Best Picture
• M. Night Shyamalan – Nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for The Sixth Sense
• Writing With Fire – Nominated for Best Documentary Feature

These nominations demonstrate the international recognition of Indian storytelling and filmmaking talent.

Recent Milestones for India at the Oscars

India achieved major success at the 95th Academy Awards in 2023, where two Indian productions won Oscars:

• “Naatu Naatu” from RRR won Best Original Song
• The Elephant Whisperers won Best Documentary Short Film

These victories marked a historic moment for Indian cinema and increased its global popularity.

Key Points

Category	Details
First Indian Film Nominated	Mother India (1957)
Indian Films Nominated for Best International Feature Film	3
First Indian Oscar Winner	Bhanu Athaiya (1983)
Honorary Oscar Recipient	Satyajit Ray (1992)
Major Oscar Wins for India	2009 and 2023