Hrithik Roshan, Alia Bhatt invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Bollywood actors Hrithik Roshan and Alia Bhatt have been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and they will have voting rights for this year’s Oscar’s awards if they accept the invitation. Documentary filmmakers Nishtha Jain and Amit Madheshiya, designer Neeta Lulla, casting director Nandini Shrikent, visual effects supervisors Vishal Anand and Sandeep Kamal have also been invited, among a total of 819 people.

Sharing the news, filmmaker Milap Zaveri tweeted, “Fabulous! Well deserved! Both @iHrithik and @aliaa08 are super talented super stars. They will be a great addition to the Academy.”

The 2020 list includes Ana De Armas, Brian Tyree Henry, Florence Pugh, Lakeith Stanfield, Beanie Feldstein, Jang Hye-Jin, Jo Yeo-Jeong, Park So-Dam and Constance Wu. Directors like Lulu Wang, Ari Aster, Terence Davies, and Matthew Vaughn are also on the list.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Academy President David Rubin said, “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.”

The official website claimed that the 2020 class is “45% women, 36% underrepresented ethnic/racial communities, and 49% international from 68 countries. There are 75 Oscar nominees, including 15 winners, and five recipients of Scientific and Technical Awards.”

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The granting of voting rights is an addition this year. “Additionally, the membership status of all Artists’ Representatives (agents) will change from Associates to Members-at-Large. As Members-at-Large, agents will now have Oscars voting privileges,” the Academy said in a statement.