Oscar 2019 to feature 20 Indian celebs

Bollywood extended an invite for the next Oscar ceremony

Shah Rukh Khan won entertainer of the decade award
Shah Rukh Khan

The Indian cinema is growing by leaps and bounds and this latest news confirms it! The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences better known as Oscars have for the first time invited a record number of 928 new members. This includes twenty prominent Bollywood personalities from Indian cinema like Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit Nene, Madhabi Mukherjee, Soumitra Chatterjee, Naseeruddin Shah, Ali Fazal, Anil Kapoor and Tabu. Aditya Chopra and Guneet Monga are the Indian producers.

Oscars winner list
Oscars winner list

This expansion by the Academy board is the outcome of the recent anti-diversity backlash Oscars faced in 2015 and 2016. If all invitees in the list accept the membership, the total strength of the Academy will become 9,226. Last year also a horde of Indian celebs including big names like Aamir Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Irrfan, Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Aishwarya Rai, Mrinal Sen were invited.

Oscars 2016
However since India has never made a mark on the Oscar win list. This move might make India a stronger name for its cinema and maybe win an award or two. This year the Academy has extended invitations to personalities from 59 different countries and this was probably the best gift SRK got on completing 26 years in Bollywood!