The 98th Academy Awards missing out on legendary Indian actor, late Dharmendra’s mention in the televised In Memoriam section has not gone down well with his fans. Social media, since Monday morning, has been reacting strongly to the miss on the televised ceremony. His name, along with other Indian icons including the late actor Manoj Kumar and B Saroja Devi, was added to the website, but it seems it all happened too little too late.

When we reach out to actor-politician Hema Malini, Dharmendra’s wife, she resonates with the fan’s sentiment, stating it to be a matter of “shame” for the Oscars to have done this. “Oscars should have mentioned Dharam ji’s name certainly,” she says. However, she also reassures his fans that the late actor placed little importance on such things.

“Personally, Dharam ji never bothered about all this. The love from his fans was above everything. I thank everyone for their concern and for remembering him with such affection even now. The love and respect people have for Dharmendra mean a great deal to us,” she adds.

With a career spanning five decades including hits like Dream Girl (1977), Pratiggya and Sholay (both 1975), Dharmendra was one of the biggest stars of Indian cinema. In February, the BAFTA Awards 2026 paid tribute to the late actor, making him the only Indian actor to be featured in the televised In Memoriam segment. However, the Academy’s failure of this inclusion, despite honouring Indian icons including Irrfan Khan and Sridevi in past, has sparked debate on its commitment to global inclusivity of cinema icons.

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Reiterating her mother’s stance, Esha Deol, tells us, stating that her father’s “heart has always been too generous to be concerned with things like these.” She says, “I don’t feel it would have made a difference to Papa at all... It was never about recognition or status, but about love, kindness, and the place he held in the hearts of people.”