The Academy of Motion Pictures and Arts announced their fresh list of 398 new members joining them this year. Among international stars such as Taylor Swift and Ke Huy Qwan, several Indian names also made it to the list. (Also read: Karan Johar shares post after UK Parliament honours him: ‘One of those days where I pinch myself’)
Indian names on the list
Desi names include RRR actors Jr NTR and Ram Charan, producer Karan Johar and Siddharth Roy Kapur, directors Mani Ratnam and Chaitanya Tamhane, music directors MM Keeravani and Chandrabose, casting director KK Senthil Kumarand documentary maker Shaunak Sen. Also on the list are Bela Bajaria (executive, Netflix), Rafiq Bhatia (music, Everything Everywhere All At Once), Andrij Parekh (cinematographer, The Zookeeper’s Wife), Shivani Pandya Malhotra (executive, Red Sea Film), Shivani Rawat (executive, ShivHans Pictures), Girish Balakrishnan (production and technology), Kranti Sarma (production and technology), Haresh Hingorani (visual effects, Laal Singh Chaddha, Zero), P.C. Sanath (visual effects, 5 Rupees, Baahubali: The Beginning).
398 new people is about half the figure of recent years as the academy scaled back after working to double the number of women and non-white members, following calls to boycott the glitzy Oscars and an angry social media backlash under the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite due to a lack of diversity.
More about the new members
The Academy now has more than 10,000 members. These members will have various roles including, but not limited to voting for the nominees for the annual Oscars ceremony.
Of the 2023 class, the academy said 40 percent identify as women, 34 percent belong to underrepresented ethnic and racial communities, and 52 percent are from 50 countries and territories outside the United States.
Seen as the apex body of the Hollywood film industry, the Academy issues a single round of invitations annually. Only Academy members can vote for Oscar winners. Next year’s Oscars are set to take place on March 10.
“The Academy is proud to welcome these artists and professionals into our membership. They represent extraordinary global talent across cinematic disciplines, and have made a vital impact on the arts and sciences of motion pictures and on movie fans worldwide,” said Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang.
Earlier this year, multiple Indian artistes made a splash at the Oscars. MM Keeravani and Chandrabose lifted the Oscar for Best Song for RRR’s Naatu Naatu. Indian production The Elephant Whisperers won Best Documentary Short. Shaunak Sen’s All That Breathes was also nominated in the Best Documentary category.