Alia Bhatt and Hrithik Roshan are among the 819 celebrities who have been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Besides the two, others from the film industry who have received invitations are costume designer Neeta Lulla, casting directors Nandini Shrikent and Tess Joseph, documentary film director Nishtha Jain, writer Sabrina Dhawan, visual effects artistes Vishal Anand and Sandeep Kamal, and digital streaming company Qube’s co-founder, V. Senthil Kumar.
In 2016, the AMPAS had promised to at least double the number of women and under-represented ethnic/racial communities by 2020. Those who accept the invitation from the 819 candidates will have voting rights for the 93rd Academy Awards, also known as Oscars.