Hema Malini calls Dharmendra's omission from Oscars In Memoriam a 'shame'

Hema Malini expressed disappointment after Dharmendra was left out of the televised In Memoriam segment at the Oscars. Calling the omission a "shame," she said the late actor was loved by audiences across the world.

Veteran actor and politician Hema Malini reacted to the absence of her late husband, Bollywood legend Dharmendra, from the televised In Memoriam segment at the 98th Academy Awards. While Dharmendra was honoured in the extended list on the Oscars’ official website, his omission from the live broadcast disappointed many fans across India. Reacting to the oversight, Hema Malini called it a “shame”.

The reaction came just weeks after Dharmendra was remembered in the In Memoriam segment at the 79th British Academy Film Awards, where the late superstar was honoured among several global film personalities.

Dharmendra, often referred to as the 'He-Man' of Bollywood, died in November last year at the age of 89 due to age-related illness.

Speaking to Bollywood Hungama, Hema expressed her disappointment over the Oscars broadcast leaving him out.

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.”

However, Hema added that Dharmendra himself would likely not have been bothered by the snub, noting that awards were never the defining aspect of his long career.