Alia Bhatt says she's 'honoured and humbled' to receive an invite from The Academy

Alia Bhatt says she’s ‘honoured and humbled’ to receive an invite from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). This year apart from Bhatt, actor Hrithik Roshan, casting director Nandini Shrikent, documentary filmmakers Nishtha Jain and Amit Madheshiya, visual effects supervisors Vishal Anand and Sandeep Kamal, were among the Indian artistes who received an invitation from the Academy. The Gully Boy actor took to social media to express her gratitude to the organisation. Bhatt said that she feels ‘deep satisfaction’ to see voices from Indian cinema find the ‘well-deserved platform’ on the global stage. She adds, “Every year, more actors, filmmakers and technicians from India are recognised by the Academy and Indian cinema continues to reach the hearts and homes of people all over the world (sic).” Read the statement here

Bhatt further compared cinema to water and said that just like the latter, cinema doesn’t know race, class, border or geography. She writes, “It takes everything in its course: audiences who passionately love or hate it, critics who dissect it, students who immerse themselves in it. Our opinions about films may be divided, but cinema as a whole is a powerful binding and unifying force.” Bhatt’s last movie, Zoya Akhtar-directed Gully Boy was India’s official entry for best international feature category at the 2019 Oscars. However, the film had failed to make it to the final five. In a statement, the Academy said the new invitees include 36 per cent of people of colour and 45 per cent women. Artistes from 68 countries have been invited as members. Those who accept the invitation will have voting rights at the 93rd Academy Awards, scheduled to be held on  25 April, 2021. The 2020 batch also boasts of major Hollywood names like Cynthia Erivo, John David Washington, Constance Wu, Zazie Beetz, Florence Pugh, Zendaya, Awkwafina, Yalitza Aparicio, Mackenzie Davis, Ana de Armas, Adele Haenel, Thomasin McKenzie, Olivia Wilde and others. The stars of multiple Oscar-winning South Korean movie Parasite — Jang Hye-Jin, Jo Yeo-Jeong, Park So-Dam and Lee Jung-Eun — have also been invited to join the Academy. Directors Lulu Wang, Ari Aster, Terence Davies, Matthew Vaughn, Robert Eggers, Matt Reeves, Alma Har’el are on the list as well. (With inputs from Press Trust of India)