The 98th Academy Awards, held on March 15, celebrated several artists for their powerful performances, but the ceremony held in Los Angeles also faced criticism surrounding the In Memoriam segment, as multiple notable names, including Dharmendra, were missing from the tribute, meant to honour film personalities who passed away over the past year.
The 2026 Oscars faced backlash after the viewers noticed that several popular figures were missing from the tribute. While the In Memoriam segment during the live broadcast featured Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, filmmaker Rob Reiner, Michele Reiner, and some other well-known figures from the world of cinema, netizens were unhappy with the omission of Brigitte Bardot, Eric Dane, Bud Cort, James Van Der Beek, cinematographer David Keighley, and Indian actor Dharmendra.
Earlier, Sholey actor’s wife Hema Malini has reacted to his matter, calling the omission “a shame.”
As the controversy intensified, broadcast executive Rob Mills, who takes care of the Oscars telecast for Walt Disney Television, reacted to the issue and defended the segment. “I think it’s the hardest thing they possibly do. It always is hard when they are sort of villainized for this. Yes, there’s always people who are left out,” he told Variety. ”Unfortunately, we’re losing more and more people, and especially, we’re losing legendary people every year, so it is probably the hardest needle to thread. I do think what they did last night might have been the best In Memoriam in the history of the Oscars.” (Agencies)
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