Suriya is first Tamil actor invited to join Oscar committee

Suriya has become the first actor from the Tamil film industry to be invited to join the Oscar organiser’s membership committee. On Tuesday (June 28), the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences invited 397 artists and executives to join the Class of 2022 and Suriya, Bollywood actor Kajol, director Sushmit Ghosh and Reema Kagti from India are all part of the list this year.

Rintu Thomas, director of Oscar nominee documentary, Writing with Fire, has also been invited by the documentary branch.

Suriya’s recent films Jai Bhim and Soorarai Pottru released on Amazon Prime Video got him a lot of international recognition. Though he has many blockbuster films to his credit.

In January, a scene from Jai Bhim, was featured in the Oscars YouTube channel. “Jai Bhim weaves in real case studies helmed by activist-lawyer Chandru, who brought justice to indigenous tribes in Tamil Nadu through his relentless efforts. Writer-director TJ Gnanavel reveals how the story narrative was formed and executed,” said the channel about the film.

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Now, Suriya, who is making his foray into Bollywood producing the Hindi remake of Soorarai Pottru, has been selected to join the Oscar organiser’s membership ranks.

The Class of 2022 will include 71 Oscar nominees and 15 winners.

While Kajol has a huge body of work in commercial cinema, Kagti, known for Hindi films such as Talaash, Gully Boy and Gold, is set to join the writers branch. In a statement shared on its website, the Academy said the list includes artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures.

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The members are selected based on professional qualifications, and they have to display an ongoing commitment to representation, inclusion and equity on a priority basis. “The 2022 class is 44 per cent women, 37 per cent belong to underrepresented ethnic/racial communities, and 50 per cent are from 53 countries and territories outside the United States,” the Academy said in the statement.

Oscar-winner A R Rahman, megastar Amitabh Bachchan, superstars Shah Rukh Khan, Vidya Balan, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan and Ali Afzal, as well as producers Aditya Chopra, Guneet Monga, Ekta Kapoor, and Shobha Kapoor, are already Academy members.