Senior Telugu director and producer CV Reddy, who has made a name for himself in Telugu, Kannada and Tamil cinema over the years, has been appointed as the chairman of the Oscar India Jury this year.
Reddy will be heading the jury that will decide India's entry to the Oscars, under the category of 'best foreign language film'.
The Deccan Chronicle reported that many film personalities from north India have had the opportunity to take on the role, but this is the first such person selected from the Telugu industry.
The DC report adds that Reddy has served as a jury member for National Awards, and several International awards, and will be watching all the film entries from India.
The Times of India reported that the screening of the entries will take place in Hyderabad at the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce, from September 16 to September 23.
The TOI report adds that Reddy's debut film Badili won the Nandi award in 1995, and also authored two novels `Swarganiki Veedukolu' and `Vasantha'.
In July this year, 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, with the criticism reaching a crescendo in 2015, when all 20 acting nominees were white, starting the #OscarsSoWhite controversy.
The Academy has been doing damage control since then.
This year's class, 39% of which comprises women, reflects a 359% jump, from 2015 to 2017, in the number of women invited to join the Academy.
From India, there are directors like Mrinal Sen, Buddhadeb Dasgupta and Goutam Ghose, actors Irrfan Khan and Salman Khan, Indian costume designer Arjun Bhasin, directors and writers like Anand Patwardhan, Sooni Taraporevala and noted sound designer Amrit Pritam Dutta.
IANS inputs