Oscars 2017 Class: PeeCee, Deepika, Amitabh-Aishwarya among invitees
Continuing its efforts to ramp up diversity after much public backlash, the Oscar Academy has invited a whopping 774 new members into its 2017 class. Some of the biggest names of Bollywood are also in that list. Unsurprisingly, Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone, who entered Hollywood this year, have both been invited. Then there's Aamir Khan, whose 'Dangal' has grossed over Rs. 2,000cr globally.
Salman Khan and Irrfan Khan too, but not just actors
Irrfan Khan, who has appeared in several Hollywood movies, has also been invited. Salman Khan's sheer star power got him in. From the Bachchan household, Amitabh and Aishwarya have received invitations. It's not just actors. Director Mrinal Sen, documentary maker Anand Patwardhan, writer Goutam Ghose, sound expert Amrit Pritam Dutta and costume designer Arjun Bhasin have also been selected in their respective categories.
Other well-known names from around the world
Some well-known names from the rest of the world in this year's class include actors Dwayne Johnson, Justin Timberlake, Margot Robbie, Amy Poehler, Channing Tatum, Gal Gadot, Rupert Grint and Kristen Stewart; directors Guy Ritchie and Jordan Peele.
More details about the 2017 batch: Youngest invitee is 19
This time, seven categories, including actors and casting directors, invited more women than men. The youngest invitee was 19 and the oldest, 95. Three married couples, including Anna Faris and Chris Pratt, have secured invitations. If all 774 invitees accept, the membership of the Academy will reach 8,427 across 17 branches.
Focus on increasing representation of women, people of color
Since the last couple of years, the Academy has made attempts to safeguard its reputation after the #OscarsSoWhite campaign. (In both 2015 and 2016, none of the top 20 acting nominees was of color) There's been a 359% increase in the number of women inducted from 2015 to 2017. Total representation of people of color has also increased: from 8% (2015) to 13% (2017).
