Mumbai, Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt on Thursday took to social media to express her gratitude to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for inviting her to be a member. In the same message, Alia claimed that social media divides people.

"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. 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, find 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 maybe 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," reads Alia Bhatt's message on Instagram.

Bollywood stars Alia Bhatt and Hrithik Roshan are among the 819 artistes and executives who have received invitations to join The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Alia Bhatt's allegation against social media comes at a time when she is being targeted by trolls and receiving hatred from netizens for being a star kid in the film industry that is allegedly dominated by nepotism. Netizens have been vocal about nepotism and targeting star kids ever since Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput's demise on June 14.