Bollywood veteran Dharmendra passed away at the age of 89 in November 2025. However, when the legendary actor was not mentioned in the In Memoriam segment at the 98th Academy Awards, his wife, Hema Malini, expressed her disappointment, calling it “a shame”.
Hema Malini reacts to Dharmendra not being mentioned in the Oscars tribute and said, “It is a shame, of course. A shame for them to have overlooked an actor who means so many things to so many people in many parts of the world. Dharamji was known and recognised everywhere.”
She added, “He never got too many awards during his lifetime. Why should he care about the Oscars? Both of us were happy to be loved in our country. But awards always eluded him. Even I didn’t get any award for my best performances in Lal Patthar and Meera.”
The tribute segment at this year’s Academy Awards ran 15 minutes longer than in previous years, featuring special remembrances for Hollywood legends Rob Reiner, Diane Keaton and Robert Redford. Despite the extended runtime, Dharmendra’s name was absent from the televised segment.
However, he was included in the official online list released by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, alongside five other Indian film personalities, actors Saroja Devi, Manoj Kumar, Jayasree Kabir, Kota Srinivasa Rao, and documentary filmmaker S Krishnaswamy.
