The 98th Academy Awards were held in Los Angeles on Sunday night, honouring the best and brightest from Hollywood’s 2025 slate. The evening also saw an extended In Memoriam segment, honouring the actors, filmmakers, and technicians who passed away in the past year. And even as cine legends like Robert Redford and Rob Reiner’s careers were celebrated, Indian fans were miffed that Bollywood legend Dharmendra failed to even find a mention.
Bollywood legend Dharmendra’s name was missing from 2026 Oscars’ In Memoriam segment.Oscars 2026 In Memoriam segment
The In Memoriam segment at this year’s Oscars was the longest in the awards show’s history. The organisers had said they would do something ‘different’ this year instead of just a video playing on screen. This difference included two segments within the segment, wherein Rob Reiner and Robert Redford were honoured by their colleagues. Director Rob Reiner was honoured by Billy Crystal, the star of his iconic film When Harry Met Sally. Barbra Streisand, who played opposite Robert Redford in The Way We Were, called him a “brilliant, subtle actor” and an “intellectual cowboy.” She finished her remarks by singing a few lines from the movie’s title song. Rachel McAdams paid homage to fellow Canadian Diane Keaton.
Dharmendra missing from In Memoriam
In recent years, the Academy Awards have tried to be truly international in their appeal, and this is most apparent in the In Memoriam segments, which have honoured international stars. From India, names like Irrfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor have found their way to the Oscars In Memoriam segment. However, the 2026 segment excluded Bollywood legend Dharmendra, who died in November 2025, aged 89.
The omission was curious given Oscars’ push for more inclusion and to be seen as an international film award, rather than just being limited to Hollywood. Fans from India were quick to note this. “The Oscars showed a list of people who passed away last year, yet didn’t mention Dharmendra—a legendary Indian actor who gave his entire life to cinema. Why so much hype when our icons get no recognition? After all, it’s mainly a Hollywood show, not truly international,” wrote one on Twitter. As several publications in the West listed actors and technicians who were missing in the segment, many Indian fans responded with Dharmendra’s name in the comments.
Other big names who were omitted from the segment included James Van Der Beek, Eric Dane, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Robert Carradine, June Lockhart, and Brigitte Bardot.