Cinema entrepreneur from Chennai invited as AMPAS member

Chennai

While talking to DT Next, a visibly excited Senthil said, “I am honoured to be a part of such a prestigious body. People can be members only by invitation. They are selected based on their contribution to the world of cinema, mostly for creativity and technology. Though I am not a creative person, my contribution is through technology.” He also said that he isn’t the first from the city to be a part of this. “AR Rahman and Santosh Sivan have also been members of AMPAS for quite some time,” Senthil added.

Talking about his roles and responsibilities, Senthil said that he will have a say in deciding which films are eligible for the Academy Awards. “I can vote for films that I feel deserve an Oscar. Apart from me, nine others from India have been invited to be a part of AMPAS.

This will ensure that Indian cinema gets its due recognition on the global stage,” he said. The 2020 invitees also include actors Alia Bhatt and Hrithik Roshan, costume designer Neeta Lulla, documentary director Nishtha Jain, writer Sabrina Dhawan casting directors Nandini Shrikent and Tess Joseph, visual effects artistes Vishal Anand and Sandeep Kamal.

For Senthil, being a part of AMPAS is more prestigious than the Oscars. “The people there work for the development of cinema on a global level. They work on elevating the standard and the quality of cinema after consulting all members,” he said.

Senthil said that he wishes for the pandemic situation to become normal for shoots to resume and movies to get released.