📌 Key Points
- Dharmendra and Manoj Kumar were initially absent from the Oscars’ In Memoriam broadcast.
- Both actors were later added to the Academy’s official website tribute.
- Actress B Saroja Devi and actor Kota Srinivasa Rao were also honored in the online segment.
- The In Memoriam segment included over 300 film industry professionals.
The 98th Academy Awards stirred controversy after omitting Bollywood legends Dharmendra and Manoj Kumar from the televised ‘In Memoriam’ segment. However, the Academy has since included them in the online tribute, acknowledging their lasting impact on cinema.
Bollywood Legends Missing from Oscars Broadcast
The 98th Academy Awards , held in Los Angeles on Sunday night, sparked disappointment among Indian viewers after Bollywood legends Dharmendra and Manoj Kumar were missing from the extended In Memoriam segment during the live broadcast. However, the two icons have since been included in the tribute on the official website of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The photos of Dharmendra and Manoj Kumar appeared alongside other industry veterans whose work left a lasting imprint on global cinema. Dharmendra was featured on the list along with Manoj Kumar, who was widely celebrated for his significant contributions to Indian cinema.
Actor B Saroja Devi, who worked in over 200 Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, and Hindi films, also featured in the section. She was also known as the first female superstar of Kannada cinema. The veteran actor, fondly known as Abhinaya Saraswati for her expressive acting, passed away at her residence in Malleswaram, Bengaluru, in July last year. She was 87.
Veteran Telugu actor and former politician Kota Srinivasa Rao was also remembered in the section. He passed away on July 13, 2025, at the age of 83.
Academy Adds Stars to Online Tribute
Hollywood actors, including James Van Der Beek and Eric Dane , were also included in the list with the other 300 names, including actors, directors, producers, and screenwriters who the film world lost over the past year.
The lost icons that featured in the segment included Robert Redford, Robert Duvall and Diane Keaton.
Actor turned director Rob Reiner, and producer Michele Reiner and his wife, who both died in December, were given a touching sendoff by their close friend Billy Crystal, who introduced a selection of Rob Reiner’s best works.
Remembering Other Indian Cinema Icons
There were more special tributes, with Rachel McAdams paying homage to Diane Keaton and her fellow Canadian Catherine O’Hara. Barbara Streisand also appeared to eulogize Robert Redford, and also sang an emotional rendition of The Way We Were from the film of the same name she co-starred in with Redford.
Earlier, the Oscars producers had signaled that the In Memoriam segment would be extended this year. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, producer Katy Mullan said, “It’s been an unimaginably hard year where we’ve lost a lot of icons and titans of the film industry. So yes, we are going to expand the In Memoriam because it feels so important that we do a tribute that is worthy of the people that we’ve lost this year.”
The 98th edition of the awards was hosted by Conan O’Brien for the second year in a row.
While their absence from the broadcast sparked disappointment, the Academy’s inclusion of Dharmendra and Manoj Kumar on their website ensures their contributions to cinema are remembered. The online tribute also honored other significant figures from Indian cinema.
