Another proud moment for Indian cinema came when actors Kamal Haasan and Ayushmann Khurrana were invited for membership of the Oscar Academy.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on June 26 invited 534 new members, which include many renowned artists and film professionals from across the world including India. Apart from Kamal and Ayushmann, the list also includes names from India like filmmaker Payal Kapadia, documentary maker Smriti Mandhra, casting director Karan Mali, cinematographer Ranbir Das, and costume designer Maxima Basu.
Internationally, this new batch also includes popular stars like Ariana Grande, Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista, Conan O’Brien, Jeremy Strong, Sebastian Stan, Aubrey Plaza, Gillian Anderson and Kieran Culkin. If all these members accept the invitation, the total membership of the Academy will be 11,120, out of which 10,143 members will be eligible to vote. The special thing is that of this year’s newly invited members, 41 percent are women, 45 percent come from underrepresented communities, and 55 percent are from 60 countries and territories outside the United States.
Oscars 2026 will be held on March 15. Voting for nominations for this will take place between 12 and 16 January 2026 and the official nominees will be announced on 22 January. Conan O’Brien will host the Oscars this time. This new list not only reflects global diversity, but also proves that Indian cinema is now being taken seriously on international platforms.
