Priyanka, Irrfan, among invitees to join the Oscars’ voting body list
Indian actors Priyanka Chopra, Irrfan Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan, among other new members, have been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture of class 2017. Director Mrinal Sen, writer Goutam Ghose, documentary maker Anand Patwardhan, costume designer Arjun Bhasin, and sound expert Amrit Pritam Dutta are the other Indian celebrities invited by the Academy. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which is a voting body of the Oscars, has issued 774 invitations to new members from across 57 countries, in order to diversify its membership, surpassing the 683 invitations issued in 2016. From 2015, there has been an increase in women and People of Color (POC), invited to join the Academy. Since 2015, the academy’s overall female membership has grown from 25% to 28% and its nonwhite membership from 8% to 13%.
Members belonging to various categories such as actors, casting directors, costume designers, directors, and film editors et al. make for the esteemed set of voters. Some of the other new members from different countries include names such as actors Dwayne Johnson, Naomie Harris and director Jordan Peele among others.
Talking about the invitation, Irrfan Khan says, “It’s an honour for any actor to receive such an invite from the Academy, which is the highest organisation in the movie business. It’s great to see one sharing their name on a list, which has such diverse talent from across the globe— some of the best actors, directors and technicians in world cinema. However, it would have been nice to see some deserving directors from India in the list, too, who are in this business for telling stories.”
Priyanka Chopra couldn’t be reached for a comment, but her spokesperson says, “The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is one of the most exclusive clubs in the world and Priyanka Chopra is extremely honoured to be invited to join the voting body for the Oscars.”
It’s an honour for any actor to receive such an invite from the Academy, which is the highest organisation in the movie business. IRRFAN KHAN, ACTOR