Karan Johar, Ram Charan, Jr NTR, Mani Ratnam get invites to become Academy members

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.

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.

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.

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.