The inheritance of a win: Arkapaw bags historic Oscar while Indian women cinematographers confront bias

As Autumn Durald Arkapaw becomes the first woman cinematographer to pick up an Academy Award, Indian female DOPs weigh in on the long road to equality

When Autumn Durald Arkapaw accepted the Oscar for Best Cinematography at the 2026 Academy Awards, it marked nearly a century of exclusion for women — and women of colour — behind the camera. In India, where cinematography remains one of the most male-dominated departments on film sets, her win resonated deeply. Women DOPs, from National Award winners Anjuli Shukla and Savita Singh to Priya Seth, Modhura Palit, Kavya Sharma and Preetha Jayaraman, have gradually carved space in a guarded field.

Even as women DOPs’ work begins to reshape how Indian cinema looks, disparity persists. Talent is often sidelined owing to gender. Four cinematographers weigh in on how visibility, mentorship, and persistence will redesign the future for generations of women wielding the lens. They also shared a few trade insights. Seth, for instance, wishes to do away with overly dark visuals and Jayaraman despises the use of zoom lens for action sequences. Both Palit and Sharma are ready to retire the vertical format, “I don’t think it’s cinematic,” says Sharma. As for a shot they will never tire of, Jayaraman mentions the “dolly shot”, for Palit, it is the “close-up of faces”, and for Seth, “a well-crafted, well-rehearsed ‘oner’.”

Then there are “small-big wins” on set that only they would notice. Sharma gets excited anytime someone from her team gets a good idea that she hasn’t thought of, while for Palit, it is a “good camera operation in a shot”. For Jayaraman, it is “women feeling safe” on her set.

The Waking of a Nation: Jallianwalla Bagh (2025) cinematographer Kavya Sharma. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

Aarya Season 3 DOP Kavya Sharma. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

“Visibility and representation is powerful,” says Sharma (Aarya Season 3, 2023-24; The Waking of a Nation, 2025). “When art is created by a diverse group, it reflects a wider range of human experiences.” Jubilant about Arkapaw’s win, she stresses that recognition alone isn’t enough. “I hope it wakes up people in the industry to the gap in representation,” she says.