Bollywood directors, actor invited to be members of Oscars Academy

Directors Zoya Akhtar and Anurag Kashyap and actor Anupam Kher are among 842 new members invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Monday.

This is to enhance diversity and inclusivity of the Oscar Academy.The invitees, according to the official Oscars’ website, have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures.

Kher has had an extensive career both in India and the West. The actor was last seen in Hotel Mumbai and The Big Sick. Meanwhile, filmmaker Akhtar, who has been invited in the director’s category, is celebrating her recent release Gully Boy. Kashyap’s credits include Gangs of Wasseypur and Dev D. Ritesh Batra has been invited in the writer’s branch.

The Academy, which is behind the annual Oscar Awards, has invited members from 59 countries and half of them are women. The 2019 class is 50% women, 29% people of colour. Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership in 2019.

Among the invited 842, 21 are Oscar winners while 82 members are Oscar nominees.

Last year, Shah Rukh Khan, Anil Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Naseeruddin Shah, Ali Fazal, Madhabi Mukherjee and Aditya Chopra were among 928 new members who were invited by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to the Oscars 2018.