Deepika Padukone 'honoured' to be part of Academy members

Actress Deepika Padukone says she is honoured to be a part of the Academy of Motion Picture of Arts & Sciences for its "Class of 2017".

"Honoured to be a new Academy member. Class of 2017," Deepika tweeted on Wednesday.

Deepika made her debut in Hollywood with "xXx: Return of Xander Cage" earlier this year.

Last month, the Academy invited a record 744 members from 57 countries to its governing body, surpassing the 683 invitations issued in 2016.

Indian actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Aamir Khan and Priyanka Chopra were also mentioned in the list.

The Academy was under pressure to diversify its membership for several years, the criticism reaching a crescendo in 2015, when all 20 acting nominees were white, starting the #OscarsSoWhite controversy. The Academy is doing damage control since then.