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.