Kajol, Suriya, among Academy's 2022 member invitees
What's the story
On Tuesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that it invited 397 artists and executives to become members of the Academy.
Among many global invitees, Bollywood actor Kajol and Tamil actor Suriya aka Saravanan Sivakumar also received invites.
Additionally, the list mentioned Indian directors Sushmit Ghosh and Rintu Thomas (Writing with Fire), and Indian writer-filmmaker Reema Kagti.
Context
Why does this story matter?
According to the statement shared on the Academy's website, the list includes names of those "who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures."
Previously, many Bollywood actors and renowned personalities were invited to the Academy's board.
This includes Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Ali Fazal, Anil Kapoor, Tabu, Zoya Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap, Anupam Kher, and Naseeruddin Shah to name a few.
List
Academy diversified its list of 2022 board members
This year, the list of invitees included Indian actors Kajol and Suriya as well as many noted Hollywood actors and personalities like Billie Eilish, Ariana DeBose, Jesse Plemons, and Jamie Dornan, among others.
"The 2022 class is 44% women, 37% belong to underrepresented ethnic/racial communities, and 50% are from 53 countries and territories outside the United States," the Academy informed in a statement.
Information
Indian-American producer also included
Kajol is famous for her extensive work in Bollywood (My Name Is Khan, Fanaa, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham), whereas Suriya is known for Jai Bhim, Soorarai Pottru, and his recent cameo in Vikram as Rolex.
On the other hand, Kagti is known for Talaash and Gully Boy.
ToI reported that India-born American producer Aditya Sood and public relations professional Sohini Sengupta also received invitations.
Backlash
AMPAS was trolled over lack of diversity in 2015
The Academy informed that those who accept the invitations will further be added to the membership ranks in 2022.
Moreover, this year's list of invitees is larger than 2021's class.
AMPAS has tried to be more inclusive to diversify and expand its borders internationally by including non-Americans and more women.
This came after the body was brutally trolled with the #OscarsSoWhite backlash in 2015.