Spoke to costume designer Eka Lakhani on her invitation to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences India Today About receiving an unexpected honour, his journey in cinema, and why Indian craftsmanship is finally getting the global recognition it deserves.

She said she is still trying to work out the recently released list of invitees. It took congratulatory messages, late-night searches for the official list and finally finding my name before the horror of that moment took over.

“I got a message from Guneet Monga, ‘Welcome to the academy’ and honestly I didn’t know what it meant. I Googled it and thought, ‘Oh okay, this is cool.’ It didn’t really affect me at the time. It was only when more people started messaging me that I realized what it meant,” she said, laughing.

Lakhani said that, like many others, he is still unaware of how artistes and technicians are selected for these invitations.

“I actually started asking people because I was curious myself. I don’t know how it happens. I never applied, so I don’t know what the process is or how the connection happened. I’m sure it has something to do with members who are already part of the Academy. I believe maybe my work fixed some of the loopholes that ultimately got me a seat at the table. I’m extremely grateful and extremely excited.”

Bhanu Athaiya’s legacy and journey in films

For Lakhani, the invitation also holds an emotional connect with the woman who paved the way for Indian costume designers on the world stage. Long before she imagined receiving Academy recognition, she had looked up to renowned costume designer Bhanu Athaiya, who became the first Indian to win an Oscar. Gandhi.

He said, “I never dreamed that one day the Academy would recognize me, but I have always looked up to Bhanu Athaiya’s journey. She has always been a huge inspiration to me. I am very happy that now I have got the opportunity to walk that path for India in my own way.”

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Reflecting on her own journey, Lakhani said that she has always been inspired by cinema rather than admiration. Recalling the phone call that changed everything, he recalls getting the opportunity to work with Mani Ratnam soon after graduating from fashion school.

“I had completed five years studying fashion and thought I would join a magazine or work in high fashion. Then I got a call from Mani Ratnam sir’s office saying that he was looking for a costume designer intern. Ravana. I talked to my dad, and he immediately said, ‘Forget the high-fashion job. Go and start from scratch. Become an intern. Stay on the ground and see how the films play out. I’m very glad I followed that advice because whatever I learned from Sabyasachi Mukherjee and whatever I learned from Mani sir, it led me to where I am today,” he said.

Lakhani also credits his parents, especially his father, for encouraging him to pursue the arts when he himself was convinced that he belonged in science.

“I really wanted to study science and that’s what I did for the first two years. But my father always felt I was more inclined towards the arts. He encouraged me to study fashion or fine arts because he believed I would do better there. At the time, I was taken by surprise. I wondered if he thought I wasn’t that good academically. Two years later, I went back to him and said, ‘I guess you were right.’ Since then, I have received constant support from my family in whatever I do. They even took me out to dinner to celebrate this accomplishment.”