Here’s another proud moment for  India, the Oscar Academy’s Class of 2018 will have a number of Indians this time. Shah Rukh Khan, Soumitra Chatterjee, Naseeruddin Shah, Tabu, Madhuri Dixit, Ali Fazal and Anil Kapoor, apart from producers Aditya Chopra and Guneet Monga, as well as music artistes Usha Khanna and Sneha Khanwalkar.

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On Monday, the official website made the announcement of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The new invitees are an effort on the Oscar-giving body to include more women, people of colour and international filmmakers.

Others who are a part of the list is “Dangal” editor Ballu Saluja, costume designers Manish Malhotra and Dolly Ahluwalia, cinematographer Anil Mehta, actress Madhabi Mukherjee, production designers Subrata Chakraborty and Amit Ray.

Ali Fazal, who featured with Judi Dench in “Victoria and Abdul”, a Oscar-nominated film, tweeted, “So so humbled to be included with the greats. Thank you The Academy for this membership. I look forward to this friendship for a long long time. Sending my love from India.”

https://t.co/jYetkjhI4u via @TheAcademy ok damn i gotta do this NOW!its official..#iamacademy So so humbled to be included with the greats. Thank you @TheAcademy for this membership. I look forward to this friendship for a long long time..Sending mah love from india- Ali

— Ali Fazal M (@alifazal9) June 25, 2018

Guneet Monga, the producer of “The Lunchbox” and “Masaan”, wrote on Instagram, “Honoured to have been invited to become a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Class of 2018 !!!!! Thank you for The Academy.”

Absolutely Honored to be invited to become a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Class of 2018 !!!!! Thank you @TheAcademy ❤ #Producer ❤ pic.twitter.com/B1lh8HSWlC

— Guneet Monga (@guneetm) June 26, 2018

The Academy extended invitations to a record 928 artistes and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures across the world. Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership in 2018, read a statement.

Among the invitees, 17 are Oscar winners, while 92 are Oscar nominees, including Timothee Chalamet and Daniel Kaluuya. Forty-nine percent of the class of 2018 are female, and, should all accept membership, that will bring the overall percentage of women in the Academy to 31 percent.

Thirty-eight percent of the new invitees are people of colour, which, should they all accept, would bring their overall percentage of the Academy to 16 percent, according to Hollywood reporter.

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Tiffany Haddish, Kal Penn, Kumail Nanjiani, Blake Lively, Dave Chappelle, Mindy Kaling, George Lopez, Amy Schumer, Sarah Silverman, Evan Rachel Wood, Naveen Andrews, Melissa Etheridge, Jada Pinkett Smith, Kendrick Lamar and J.K. Rowling are among the popular names on the list which ranges from actress Quvenzhane Wallis, who, at age 14, is the youngest, to composer Sofia Gubaidulina, who, at 86, is the oldest.

-With IANS inputs