Alia Bhatt has expressed her gratitude after she was invited by The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences to become a member of the body.
The actress on Thursday took to Instagram to express her feelings in a lengthy note.
"I thank The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for inviting me to be a member of the Academy. I feel at once honoured and humbled. There is also a deep satisfaction in seeing that the voice of Indian cinema is finding a very well deserved platform on the world stage," she wrote.
Below is her full statement:
"Every year, more actors, filmmakers and technicians from India are recognized by the Academy and Indian cinema continues to reach the hearts and homes of people all over the world.
"I truly believe that cinema, like water, finds its level. And, like water, it knows no race, class, border or geography and flows freely. It takes everything In its course: audiences who passionately love or hate it, critics who dissect it, students who immerse themselves in it. Our opinions about films may be divided, but cinema as a whole is a powerful binding and unifying force. In a world that can be unsure and fragmented, at a time when the very social media that is meant to connect people ends up dividing them, movies are the glue that binds us."