Not Just Deepika Padukone, Here Are Previous Indian Presenters at the Oscars

Actors Persis Khambatta and Priyanka Chopra were previously given the honour of becoming a presenter at the Oscars.

Bollywood megastar Deepika Padukone is not the first, but the third Indian to present at the Academy Awards.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone introduced the performance of RRR's 'Naatu Naatu' and gave the song a special mention, briefing the audience about the song amidst loud cheers.

Padukone, one of the presenters this year, joined global superstars like Dwayne Johnson, Samuel Jackson and Emily Blunt for the ceremony.

"An irresistibly catchy chorus, electrifying beats and killer dance moves to match have made this next song a global sensation. It plays during a pivotal scene in RRR... In addition to being sung in Telugu and illustrating the film's anti-colonialist themes, it's also a total banger. Do you know Naatu? You're about to".

Deepika Padukone at the 95th Academy Awards

But the Bollywood megastar is not the first, but the third Indian to present at the Academy Awards.

In 1980, Bombay-born Persis Khambatta became the first Indian to be invited to present an award, and she went onstage to present the award for Best Feature-Length Documentary Film.

Khambatta was an actor an model best known for her portrayal of Lieutenant Ilia in 1979’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The model and actor died of a heart attack in 1998 at 49.

A few decades later, Priyanka Chopra presented at the Oscars alongside fellow Oscar presenters like Tina Fey, Jared Leto, Reese Witherspoon, Steve Carell and J.K. Simmons.

Chopra presented nominees for Achievement in Film Editing and was accompanied onstage by American actor and director Liev Schreiber.