Actors Hrithik Roshan and Alia Bhatt are among the 819 people invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The list also includes casting directors Nandini Shrikent and Tess Joseph, costume designer Neeta Lulla, documentary filmmakers Nishtha Jain and Amit Madheshiya, visual effects supervisors Vishal Anand and Sandeep Kamal and film score composer Nainita Desai.
If the invitees accept the invitation, they will have the voting privileges at the 93rd Academy Awards which will be held on April 25 next year.
The list also includes prominent actors like Ana De Armas (Knives Out), Brian Tyree Henry (If Beale Street Could Talk), Florence Pugh (Little Women), Lakeith Stanfield (Sorry to Bother You), Beanie Feldstein (Booksmart) and Constance Wu (Crazy Rich Asians). Directors like Lulu Wang (The Farewell), Ari Aster (Midsommar), Terence Davies (The House of Mirth) and Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake) are also on the list.
Academy president David Rubin said in a statement, "The Academy is delighted to welcome these distinguished fellow travellers in the motion picture arts and sciences. We have always embraced extraordinary talent that reflects the rich variety of our global film community, and never more so than now."
In recent times, the Academy has been striving to be more inclusive. Academy CEO Dawn Hudson said, "We take great pride in the strides we have made in exceeding our initial inclusion goals set back in 2016, but acknowledge the road ahead is a long one.”
He added: “We look forward to continuing to foster an Academy that reflects the world around us in our membership, our programs, our new Museum and in our awards."
