When the Oscar invitations were sent out and the name of Shahrukh Khan was missing from the list, fans took to social media and bombarded the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with tweets criticizing them.
Many New Faces to vote in the Oscars
The president of the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences made the announcement on Oscar’s website, saying, “We’re proud to invite our newest class to the academy. The entire motion picture community is what we make of it. It’s up to all of us to ensure that new faces and voices are seen and heard, and to take a shot on next generation as someone took a shot on us.”
Many Big Names in the List
Ranging from the 95-year-old Betty White to the 19-year-old Ellie Fanning, many Hollywood biggies have been invited. The names of Gal Gadot, Riz Ahmed, Chris Patt, Anna Faris, Margot Robbie, Channing Tatum, Shailenne Woodley, Ruth Negga, Rupert Grint, Domhnall Gleeson, Warwick David, Adam Drivers and many others were shining graciously in the list of new Academy Members.
Bollywood Biggies Make it to the List
When the list of Academy Memberships came out, name of many Bollywood stars including the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Deepika Padukone, Irrfan Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan were seen in it. Filmmakers Goutam Ghose was also invited to vote in the Oscars.
King Khan not invited to join the Academy
In total, 774 invitations were sent out. But what came as a surprise or more appropriately shock for everyone was the fact that the name of Bollywood’s Badshah, Mr. Shahrukh Khan who is the heartthrob of millions, was not seen in the list. It soon created a ruckus on social media.
The Academy’s statement fuels people’s fury
After receiving harsh tweets and hateful comments from fans for not including Shahrukh’s name, The Academy of Motion Pictures released a statement which made fans’ temper burst all the thermometers. The statement reads, “The basic requirement is that a candidate must have demonstrated exceptional achievement in the field of theatrical motion pictures.
It is hard to believe that a man who has given a new direction to the Indian Cinema and is appreciated for his acting skills throughout the globe is not eligible to vote in the Oscars.”
We wonder what Salman Khan and Deepika Padukone did to make it to the list. All we can do is to wish luck to the Academy of Motion Pictures to survive the outrage of SRK fans who won’t take any of this well enough.