Oscars announces new members; invites Karan Johar, Ram Charan, Jr NTR, MM Keeravani 

The Academy of Motion Pictures and Arts on Thursday added 398 new members, including many Indians. The Academy said that the selection of these members is based on professional qualifications with a commitment to representation, inclusion, and equity.  

This list includes Indian film personalities like RRR stars Ram Charan and Jr NTR, filmmaker and producer Karan Johar, RRR composer MM Keeravani, Ponniyin Selvan franchise maker Mani Ratnam, RRR casting cinematographer KK Senthil Kumar, and maker of the Oscar-nominated documentary All That Breathes, Shaunak Sen. International stars like Ke Huy Qwan and Taylor Swift are also a part of the list.  

It also includes Baahubali: The Beginning’s VFX designer PC Sanath, Laal Singh Chaddha and Zero VFX designer Haresh Hingorani, The Zookeeper’s Wife cinematographer Andrij Parekh, Everything Everywhere All At Once music director Rafiq Bhatia, Netflix executive Bela Bajaria, and ShivHans Pictures executive Shivani Rawat.  

Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang said: “The Academy is proud to welcome these artists and professionals in our memberships. They represent extraordinary global talent across cinematic disciplines, and have made a vital impact on the arts and sciences of motion pictures and on movie fans worldwide”.  

Other invitees into the Academy this year include Elvis actor Austin Butler and Everything Everywhere All At Once actor Stephanie Hsu in the Actors branch. Tar’s Alexandra Montag and Spirited’s casting director Rachel G Tenner in the casting directors’ branch.  

James Friend (All Quiet on the Western Front) and K.K. Senthil Kumar (RRR) were added to the cinematographers’ branch. Bob Buck (Avatar: The Way of Water) and Linda Muir (The Northman) were also invited in the Costume Designers branch whereas Carlos López Estrada (Raya and the Last Dragon), Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick) and Maria Schrader (She Said) were invited in the Directors branch. 

The Academy has over 10,000 members at present. Of the 2023 class, the Academy said 40 per cent identify as women and 34 per cent belong to underrepresented ethnic and racial communities. Fifty-two per cent are from 50 countries outside US territories.  

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