SRK among stars on Oscars body
More than a third of the 928 Academy invitees are people of colour, while about half are women
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Monday it has swelled its ranks by a record 928 members, as part of its drive for a more inclusive Hollywood.
The Oscar-awarding body announces a round of invitations every year, and has been bolstering its ethnic and female representation following criticism over its predominantly white, male membership.
More than a third of the list — drawn from 59 countries — are people of colour, while around half are women, bringing the female proportion of the Academy up from 25 per cent in 2015 to 31 per cent.
The proportion of people of colour doubled in the same period, but started from a low bar of just 8 per cent.
The recruits include 17 Oscar winners and 92 nominees, including Timothee Chalamet, Kumail Nanjiani and Daniela Vega.
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has also been invited, along with Soumitra Chatterjee, Naseeruddin Shah, Tabu, Madhuri Dixit, Ali Fazal and Anil Kapoor, apart from producers Aditya Chopra and Guneet Monga, as well as music artistes Usha Khanna and Sneha Khanwalkar.
Dangal editor Ballu Saluja, costume designers Manish Malhotra and Dolly Ahluwalia, cinematographer Anil Mehta, actress Madhabi Mukherjee, production designers Subrata Chakraborthy and Amit Ray are also a part of the list.
Fazal, who featured with Judi Dench in Victoria and Abdul, tweeted: “So, so humbled to be included with the greats. Thank you The Academy for this membership. I look forward to this friendship for a long long time. Sending my love from India.”
“Aggressively expanding the palette of perspectives within the 90-year- old organisation’s ranks is the goal,” said Variety’s awards editor Kristopher Tapley.
“Nine hundred twentyeight new members is more than a statement, it’s a declaration. Next year, the number will likely be north of 1,000 and the overall membership will tip the scales at 10,000. It was nearly half that just seven or eight years ago.”
If all the 2018 invitees accept, voting members will be 8,186 and total active membership 8,356.
The list includes Native Americans such as Westworld star Irene Bedard, Q’orianka Kilcher from Hostiles and Wind River actor Tantoo Cardinal, and numerous Asian and Spanish-language creatives.