Vishal Bhardwaj among 6 Indians invited to Oscar voting panel by Academy; joins Jacob Elordi, Jenna Ortega, Zach Cregger

ON wed, the honorary society of question render Arts and Sciences proclaimed that it has invited 529 people to join the Oscars voting body, a prestigious honour in the cinema world. And while the list is naturally dominated by actors and filmmakers from the United States, it has representation from all over the world, including six names from India as well, including filmmaker and composer Vishal Bhardwaj.Oscars Academy invites 529 new membersThe Academy has sent out invites to over 500 people associated with cinema, including One Battle After Another nominee Teyana Taylor, actors Josh O'Connor, Jenna Ortega, Jacob Elordi, and Simu Liu, and filmmakers Josh and Benny Safdie and Weapons director Zach Cregger. Other new members include Anthony Ramos, Bill Skarsgård, Mia Goth, Jon Bernthal, Jemaine Clement, Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù and Stephen Fry.If all new members accept their invitations, the film academy will number 11,319, with 10,338 voting members. This almost doubles the number of Academy members from ten years ago.Indians invited to the AcademyVishal Bhardwaj is the most high-profile name invited from India by the Academy this year. The filmmaker-composer has been listed in the list of music composers invited this year. Alongside him, film editors Deepa Bhatia and A Sreekar Prasad have also been invited.Best known to the West as the editor of the Oscar-winning RRR, A Sreekar Prasad has also worked on films such as Talvar, Shershaah, Saathiya, and Sky Force over a 40-year career. Deepa Bhatia, meanwhile, has worked on films like Kai Po Che, Taare Zameen Par, Rock On, and Kedarnath.Costume designer Eka Lakhani, who is best known for her work on Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, has also been invited. The Mumbai-based designer has also worked on films such as Ponniyin Selvan, Dunki, Queen, and Sanju. Casting director Dilip Shankar, who worked on the Oscar-bound Last Film Show, is also among the invitees, as is Disney animator Avneet Kaur.Last year, three Indians were among the invitees to the Academy - actors Kamal Haasan and Ayushmann Khurrana, and filmmaker Payal Kapadia.About the members of the AcademyFollowing the induction of this year's new members, the academy will be 64% male and 75% white. One byproduct of the membership expansion has been an increase in international voters. Overseas members now account for 22% of the group.The makeup of the new class is 42% women, 56% from underrepresented communities and 53% from countries outside the U.S.“Membership selection is based on professional qualifications, with an ongoing commitment to representation, inclusion and equity remaining a priority,” the academy said in its announcement.The 99th Academy Awards will be held on March 14, 2027, with Conan O'Brien returning as host for the third consecutive year.