Dharmendra Oscar Snub: The absence of late Bollywood legend Dharmendra from the In Memoriam segment at the 98th Academy Awards has started a strong debate online. While his family and colleagues expressed disappointment, many social media users said Indian stars should not look for validation from Western award shows. Some even called the reaction “embarrassing”.
Dharmendra passed away at the age of 89 in November 2025. However, his name was not shown in the televised tribute at the Oscars ceremony held on March 15, 2026. This upset his wife, actor and MP Hema Malini, who said it was “a shame” that the veteran star was not honoured on such a global platform.
Although he was missing from the broadcast segment, Dharmendra’s name was later included in the official online memorial list released by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The list also featured Indian film personalities Saroja Devi, Manoj Kumar, Jayasree Kabir, Kota Srinivasa Rao and documentary filmmaker S Krishnaswamy.
Hema Malini Reacts To Dharmendra’s Oscar Snub
In an interview with Subhash K Jha for Bollywood Hungama, Hema Malini shared her disappointment over the omission. She 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 also spoke about how Dharmendra never received many awards during his career. 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.”
Earlier, daughter Esha Deol also reacted to the issue. She said her father would not have been bothered by the omission, as he never cared much about awards or recognition.
Veteran actor and politician Shatrughan Sinha also criticised the Academy for leaving Dharmendra out of the tribute. He called the omission a “matter of shame”. He also said that legends like Dilip Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar were not properly honoured in the past. However, he added that such recognition does not matter much because these icons remain “entrenched in [our] hearts forever”.
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Dharmendra Oscar Snub Debate: Netizens Say Indian Stars Are Obsessed
While film personalities expressed disappointment, many users online had a different opinion. Several Reddit users said the Oscars is mainly an American award show and Indian celebrities should not expect recognition from it.
One user wrote, “I feel that we should give up this obsession for oscar. Why dont we have even 1 single legitimate award show?”
Another commented, “Why are we looking for validation? It’s an award for Americans, not for us.”
One post read, “Embarrassing. Oscars is an American award show not ours. Why are so many Indians obsessed with seeking westerners validation? I guess the effects of colonisation still remains.”
Another user said, “Why do we care so much. Do we mention Hollywood stars in our memorium section?. Why this constant validation?”
A few users also explained that the tribute usually includes artists who had global or Hollywood connections. One comment said, “Both Om Puri and Irrfan Khan were part of the montage at that year’s Oscar in memorium. So were Sridevi and Shashi Kapoor. They don’t snub people. It is based on your contribution to global cinema.”
Another wrote, “I’m not sure Dharmendra ji ever appeared in any Hollywood movie, and I think only Indian actors who have worked in Hollywood productions are included in the momorium section… Also, Dharmendra Ji was much bigger than all this.”
For the unversed, Dharmendra died on November 24, 2025 (after being hospitalised due to declining health). His death left the film industry in mourning. He is survived by his wives Hema Malini and Prakash Kaur, and his children Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Esha Deol and Ahana Deol. His final film Ikkis (directed by Sriram Raghavan) was released on January 1. Critics praised his performance, but the film underperformed at the box office.
