After Hema Malini, Esha Deol has reacted to the Oscars skipping Dharmendra in the In Memoriam segment at the 98th Academy Awards during the live broadcast. Fans of the actor thought he was snubbed; however, the veteran Hindi cinema legend was mentioned in the section on the website. Esha expressed that it wouldn’t have made any difference to her father.
Esha Deol reacts to the Oscars 2026 skipping Dharmendra in the Memoriam segment
In conversation with Variety India, Esha Deol expressed, “I don’t think it would ever make a difference to Papa. His heart has always been far too big to worry about such things. For him, life was never about recognition or status—it was about love, kindness, and the place he held in people’s hearts.”
What did Hema Malini say?
In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, Hema Malini shared, “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.”The veteran actress-politician further added, “Dharamji was known and recognized everywhere. He never got too many awards during his lifetime. Why should he care about the Oscars? Both of us—we were happy to be loved in our country. But awards always eluded him.”Hema Malini stated that even she didn’t get any award for her best performances in movies like ‘Lal Patthar’ and ‘Meera’.Meanwhile, she told HT City, “The love and respect people have for Dharmendra means a great deal to us. Oscars should have mentioned Dharam ji’s name certainly.”
More about Oscars 2026 In Memoriam segment
Hollywood legends like Rob Reiner, Robert Redford, Diane Keaton, and more were remembered in the In Memoriam segment of the Oscars 2026, which ran around 15 minutes longer than previous years. Even after the extended time, Dharmendra’s name didn’t make it to the segment.However, the late legend of Hindi cinema was included in the list of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). His name was included along with other Indian film personalities—actors Saroja Devi, Manoj Kumar, Jayasree Kabir, Kota Srinivasa Rao, and documentary filmmaker S. Krishnaswamy.
