SS Rajamouli reacts to being excluded from Academy Members list; Jr. NTR expresses gratitude for invitation

RRR director S.S. Rajamouli (C) with Jr NTR (L) and Ram Charan (R), Pic/Instagram

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences named 398 new members who will join them this year. Several Indian filmmakers and actors were invited to join the Academy, but the name of one person was conspicuously absent from the list - that of S.S. Rajamouli, the director of the blockbuster, RRR.

This exclusion surprised many, especially considering that six other members of the RRR team were invited. It was also considered to be a possible snub by the Academy, considering their past records of disproportionately extending invitations to white and male personalities.

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Despite any personal disappointments or speculation surrounding his exclusion, the Magadheera director chose to take the high road and graciously tweeted about the Academy membership invitation on Twitter. He extended heartfelt congratulations to all those who were invited, and expressed his pride at his RRR cast and crew members being conferred with the honour.

"Extremely proud that 6 members of our RRR team have been invited as members for The Academy Awards this year. Congratulations Tarak, Charan, Peddanna, Sabu sir, Senthil & Chandrabose garu. Also, congrats to the members from Indian Cinema who received the invitation this year," he wrote.

The six other invited members from the team included lead actors Ram Charan, Jr NTR, lyricist Chandrabose, music composer MM Keeravani, production designer Sabu Cyril, and cinematographer K K Senthil Kumar.

Jr NTR expressed his gratitude for receiving the Academy invitation in an official statement. He said, "It is such a proud moment for all of us in the RRR family that Ram Charan, MM Keeravaani, Senthil Kumar, Chandrabose, Sabu Cyril, and I have been invited as members for The Academy Awards 2024. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all of them for this well-deserved honor. I thank The Academy for bestowing this honor upon us. I would also like to congratulate my colleagues in the Indian film fraternity who have received invitations from the Academy as well."

Indian cinema made quite the impression at the 2023 Academy Awards. RRR's hit song, Naatu Naatu won the Oscar for Best Song. The list for this year also includes other prominent Indian names such as director-producer Karan Johar and documentary maker Shaunak Sen, whose ‘All That Breathes' was also nominated for Best Documentary. There is much reason to celebrate that India's contribution to the global entertainment industry is being recognized at an international level.