Oscars 2021: AMPAS Pay Tribute To Late Irrfan Khan, And Bhanu Athaiya

Los Angeles, April 26, 2021: The 93rd Academy Awards were announced on Monday morning (as per IST), to honor the best films of 2020 and early 2021. It was the first time Oscars was held virtually and in person due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. It took place in Los Angeles - at both Union Station and the Dolby Theatre.

Apart from honoring the top films, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) also paid tribute to the artists across industries of the world. Irrfan Khan and Bhanu Athaiya were the Indian film personalities honored in the "In Memoriam" along with Hollywood personalities, Sean Connery and Chadwick Boseman.

Oscar nominee Angela Bassett gave a speech with the tribute, which was shown in the form of a video clip and was a homage to achievers the world of screen lost over the past year, including actors, writers, directors, and technicians.

Irrfan, who passed away last year in Mumbai at the age of 53 after a two-year battle with a neuroendocrine tumor, earned global recognition for his work in projects such as "The Warrior", "The Namesake", "Slumdog Millionaire", "The Amazing Spider-Man", "Life Of Pi", "Jurassic World" and "Inferno".

Costume designer Bhanu Athaiya became the first Indian to win an Oscar, for her work in Sir Richard Attenborough's "Gandhi" in 1982. She won the Oscar jointly with John Mollo. Athaiya was 91 when she passed away at her residence in Mumbai after a prolonged illness last year on October 16. Athaiya had also won a BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design for the film.

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