Before Payal Kapadia, these 8 Indians made their mark at the Golden Globes

The Golden Globe Awards, established by the Hollywood Foreign Correspondents Association, held their first ceremony in 1945 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The Foreign Language category, introduced in 1959 as the Samuel Goldwyn International Award, marked a milestone for Indian cinema when V. Shantaram won for his 1957 Hindi classic Do Aankhen Barah Haath. This humanistic psychological drama remains one of the few Indian films to have received this prestigious accolade.

Fast forward to December 2024, and Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia made history by becoming the first Indian woman nominated for Best Director at the 2025 Golden Globe Awards. Her film, All We Imagine As Light, also earned a nomination for Best Non-English Language Film, cementing her place among India’s cinematic trailblazers.

Despite the fanfare, ‘All We Imagine As Light’ lost out on the Best Featue Film—Foreign Language Award to the Spanish queer drama ‘Emilia Perez’. Kapadia also lost out on the award for Best Director, which went to Brady Corbet for The Brutalist. However, Kapadia joins the ranks of the luminaries who represented India at the Golden Globes.

V. Shantaram

In 1959, V. Shantaram became the first Indian to win a Golden Globe with Do Aankhen Barah Haath. The film tells the story of a compassionate jail warden, Adinath, who rehabilitates six hardened criminals by involving them in hard labor on a desolate farm. It also won the Silver Bear Extraordinary Prize of the Jury at the 1958 Berlin International Film Festival.

Mira Nair

Mira Nair received her first Golden Globe nomination in 1989 for Salaam Bombay! in the Best Foreign Film category. This poignant tale follows Krishna, a young boy navigating the hardships of Mumbai’s slums. The film also garnered an Academy Award nomination for Best International Feature Film and won the Caméra d’Or at Cannes. Nair was nominated again in 2002 for Monsoon Wedding.

A. R. Rahman

A. R. Rahman made history in 2009 by winning the Golden Globe for Best Original Score for Slumdog Millionaire. His compositions, including “Jai Ho” and “O… Saya,” became global sensations. Rahman’s illustrious career also includes two Academy Awards and two Grammy Awards.

S. S. Rajamouli and M. M. Keeravani

S. S. Rajamouli’s RRR achieved global recognition with its nomination for Best Non-English Language Film in 2023. Its song “Naatu Naatu,” composed by M. M. Keeravani and written by Chandrabose, won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song and later an Oscar, making it the first Indian song to achieve this feat.

These achievements highlight India’s remarkable contributions to global cinema.