📌 Key Points
- Six prominent Indians, including filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj, invited to the Oscar voting panel.
- Editor A Sreekar Prasad, filmmaker Deepa Bhatia, and costume designer Eka Lakhani are among the new Indian invitees.
- Casting director Dilip Shankar and Disney animator Avneet Kaur also join the prestigious Academy.
- The new class of invitees is 42% women, 56% from underrepresented communities, and 53% from outside the U.S.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has extended invitations to 529 new members for its prestigious Oscar voting body. This year, six prominent Indian film personalities, led by acclaimed filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj, have been honored, significantly bolstering India’s representation on the global cinematic stage.
Indian Luminaries Join Oscar Voting Body
On Wednesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that it has invited 529 people to join the Oscars voting body, a prestigious honour in the cinema world. And while the list is naturally dominated by actors and filmmakers from the United States, it has representation from all over the world, including six names from India as well, including filmmaker and composer Vishal Bhardwaj .
If all new members accept their invitations, the film academy will number 11,319, with 10,338 voting members. This almost doubles the number of Academy members from ten years ago.
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.
Diverse Global Representation at Academy
Costume designer Eka Lakhani, who is best known for her work on Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, has also been invited. 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.
Last year, three Indians were among the invitees to the Academy – actors Kamal Haasan and Ayushmann Khurrana, and filmmaker Payal Kapadia.
The makeup of the new class is 42% women, 56% from underrepresented communities and 53% from countries outside the U.S.
Academy’s Commitment to Inclusion
“Membership selection is based on professional qualifications, with an ongoing commitment to representation, inclusion and equity remaining a priority,” the academy said in its announcement.
The 99th Academy Awards will be held on March 14, 2027, with Conan O’Brien returning as host for the third consecutive year.
This significant inclusion of Indian talent underscores the Academy’s ongoing commitment to global diversity and representation. It marks a proud moment for Indian cinema, further integrating its rich storytelling and technical prowess into the international film landscape.
