The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Science, the body that governs the Oscar awards, has recruited many Bollywood stars, including Amitabh Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra, Aamir Khan and others. But Shah Rukh Khan has not been invited to be a part of the academy.
Two years ago, the Oscars was criticised of being racist, with the #OscarSoWhite hashtag on Twitter calling the Academy out for its lack of diversity – both in its membership, and its choice of film personalities to commemorate. Since then, the Academy has been reaching out to more stars, technicians, filmmakers and producers from around the world. An ABC News report says that the Academy has invited 775 new members from over 50 countries to join the body – the largest single recruitment in a year. The Academy has looked specifically to recruit more women film professionals, and persons of colour – leading to a 331% increase in women members at the academy.
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The Indian Express says that Bombay cinema stars Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, Aishwarya Rai, Irrfan Khan, Salman Khan, Mrinal Sen, and other stars and technicians are now part of this diversified Academy.
The Academy has a criteria for new member selection, which is, “The basic requirement is that a candidate must have demonstrated exceptional achievement in the field of theatrical motion pictures, although each branch then has its own specific requirements.”