Vishal Bhardwaj, Eka Lakhani and four other Indian talents invited to join the expanded Oscar voting body
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Vishal Bhardwaj
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited 529 new members from around the world to join its prestigious Oscar voting body. While the invitee list features prominent Hollywood names like Jenna Ortega, and Jacob Elordi, it also includes six Indians.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has invited 529 new members to join the Oscars voting body, which includes six Indian film personalities, including filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj and celebrity stylist Eka Lakhani. To be part of the Academy as a voting member is considered an honour among the film fraternity all over the world.
The list of invitees to join the Academy is dominated by actors and filmmakers from the United States, but six Indians have also made it to the coveted list.
Oscars invites 529 new members
The Academy has sent out invites to over 500 people associated with cinema, including One Battle After Another nominee Teyana Taylor, actors Josh O'Connor, Jenna Ortega, Jacob Elordi, and Simu Liu, and filmmakers Josh and Benny Safdie and Weapons director Zach Cregger. Other new members include Anthony Ramos, Bill Skarsgård, Mia Goth, Jon Bernthal, Jemaine Clement, Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù and Stephen Fry.
Indians invited to the Academy
The list also includes six Indians, including filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj. The filmmaker-composer has been listed as a music composer in the invited members list. Bhardwaj is a well-known singer-music composer as well as a prolific screenwriter, producer and director.
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Apart from Vishal Bhardwaj, film editors Deepa Bhatia and A Sreekar Prasad have also been invited.
Best known to the West as the editor of the Oscar-winning RRR, A Sreekar Prasad has also worked on films such as Talvar, Shershaah, Saathiya, and Sky Force over a 40-year career. Deepa Bhatia, meanwhile, has worked on films like Kai Po Che, Taare Zameen Par, Rock On, and Kedarnath.
Costume designer Eka Lakhani, who is best known for her work on Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, has also made it to the invitees list. The Mumbai-based designer has also worked on films such as Ponniyin Selvan, Dunki, Queen, and Sanju.
Casting director Dilip Shankar, who worked on the Oscar-bound Last Film Show, is also among the invitees, as is Disney animator Avneet Kaur.
Each year, the Academy inducts new members from across the world of cinema. Last year, three Indians were among the invitees to the Academy - actors Kamal Haasan and Ayushmann Khurrana, and filmmaker Payal Kapadia.
Several prominent Indian actors, directors and technicians are already part of the Academy.
About the members of the Academy
The Academy is continuing its push for diversity. With its latest induction, the total membership will be 64% male and 75% white, while international voters now make up 22% of the roster.
The newest class heavily drives this evolution, boasting 42% women, 56% from underrepresented ethnic groups, and 53% international filmmakers.
According to the organization, this is all part of a deliberate balance: “Membership selection is based on professional qualifications, with an ongoing commitment to representation, inclusion and equity remaining a priority.”
We will see this newly shaped voting body in action at the 99th Academy Awards on March 14, 2027, which Conan O'Brien is set to host for the third consecutive year.
