The 79th edition of the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) struck an emotional chord on Sunday night as it paid tribute to late Dharmendra during its In Memoriam segment. The Indian actor, who passed away in November last year, was remembered among global cinema icons, in a moving nod to his legacy.
Dharmendra remembered at BAFTA
The 79th edition of the British Academy Film Awards ceremony was held at London’s Royal Festival Hall on Sunday.
Jessie Ware took to the stage and sang an emotional rendition of Barbra Streisand’s The Way We Were as she paid tribute to figures from the world of film who passed away over the last year.
The emotional musical tribute was accompanied by a video package remembering the icons the world lost over last year. The In Memoriam segment remembered icons such as Diane Keaton, Terence Stamp, Catherine O’Hara, Rob Reiner, Gene Hackman, Terence Stamp, Robert Duvall, Tom Stoppard, Brigitte Bardot, Lalo Schifrin, Michael Madsen and Val Kilmer. Indian actor Dharmendra was also mentioned in the tribute.
Fans back home in India were moved by the tribute to Dharmendra, with many taking to social media to share emotional reactions and heartfelt messages celebrating the late icon.
“Good to see BAFTA remembering Dharmendra ji,” one wrote, with another sharing, “The BAFTA Awards featured Dharmendra in their In Memoriam section.” One posted the image with caption, “The #BAFTA In Memoriam #Dharmendra.”
On the other hand, global fans were left furious after noticing Eric Dane and James Van Der Beek were both missing from the In Memoriam segment during the ceremony. Grey’s Anatomy star Eric’s death was confirmed by his family in a statement earlier this month. He died after his battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) diagnosis. He was 53. Meanwhile Dawson Creek’s James passed away at the age of 48 on February 11 following a battle with stage three colorectal cancer.
“Poor oversight by BAFTA. James Van Der Beek and Eric Dane should have been included in the memorial section’: ‘Where was James Van Der Beek in that tribute to all the actors???’” one comment on X (formerly known as Twitter) read.
Dharmendra dies at 89
Dharmendra passed away on November 24 last year at his residence in Mumbai. He was 89 years old. The actor was discharged from Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital earlier in the month after a health scare, and was recuperating at home. He was cremated in Mumbai on November 25. The veteran actor is survived by his two wives – Prakash Kaur and actor Hema Malini, along with 6 children, including actors Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, and Esha Deol.
Born in a village in Ludhiana in 1935, Dharmendra began his film career in 1960 with the romantic drama Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere. He established himself in the 1960s as a romantic hero, often playing second lead or working with more popular female stars in films like Bandini, Ayee Milan Ki Bela, and Khamoshi. He went on to get recognition with Chetan Anand’s 1965 war film Haqeeqat. However, it was Phool Aur Patthar the following year that made him a saleable star.
In his career, he went on to work on some of the biggest hits in Bollywood, including Mera Gaon Mera Desh, Seeta Aur Geeta, Chupke Chupke, Sholay, and Yaadon Ki Baraat. Apart from romance, the actor also explored the world of action, and went on to get the title of ‘He Man of India’. He worked with sons – Sunny and Bobby – in the Yamla Pagla Deewana films, and Apne. He was last seen in Ikkis, which was released in January. Dharmendra has been posthumously awarded the prestigious Padma Vibhushan.
