Oscars 2026: The ongoing Academy Awards has left Indian fans upset after the biggest night of Hollywood snubbed late star Dharmendra from its In Memoriam Segment. However, Rob Reiner, Catherine O’Hara and Diane Keaton were honoured at the ceremony.
Dharmendra gets no mention in Oscars’ In Memoriam
Remembering Rob Reiner, who was found dead with his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, at their home in December, Billy Crystal said, “It went so well, where Rob said, ‘You know, it’s fun playing your best friend, why don’t we keep it going?”
“And it was a thrill to see him evolve from a great comic actor to a master storyteller,” he added, as per Hollywood Reporter.
Bill Crystal on Rob Reiner
“My friends, Rob’s movies will last for lifetimes because they were about what makes us laugh and cry and what we aspire to be far better in his eyes, far kinder, far funnier and far more human,” Crystal added.
Joining Billy Crystal was the When Harry Met Sally… co-star Meg Ryan, along with Michael McKean and Christopher Guest (This Is Spinal Tap); Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Pollak and Demi Moore (A Few Good Men); Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Carol Kane and Fred Savage (The Princess Bride); Kathy Bates (Misery); Jerry O’Connell and Wil Wheaton (Stand by Me); Annette Bening (An American President); and John Cusack (The Sure Thing) as they paid a joint tribute to the filmmaker.
Catherine O’Hara honoured
Rachel McAdams grew emotional talking about Catherine O’Hara.
“This year, we lost so many artists, including actresses whose talent and originality widened the world for all of us,” she said, as per People.
Calling O’Hara her “fellow Canadian,” she said that “she made us laugh until we cried.”
Diane Keaton
For Diane Keaton, McAdams said, “There isn’t an actress of my generation who is not inspired by and enthralled with her absolute singularity.”
Others remembered during Oscars segment
Besides Rob Reiner, Catherine O’Hara and Diane Keaton, legendary designer Giorgio Armani, actors Robert Redford, and Val Kilmer were also reportedly mentioned in the special segment.
Indian celebs who were mentioned in Oscars
However, excluding Dharmendra is unusual, especially when the Oscars have previously recognised Indian film personalities like Nitin Chandrakant Desai in 2024, Irrfan Khan and Bhanu Athaiya in 2021, Sridevi and Shashi Kapoor in 2018.
Reacting to the In Memoriam Segment, a user took to X, formerly Twitter and wrote, “The Oscars showed a list of people who passed away last year, yet didn’t mention Dharmendra—a legendary Indian actor who gave his entire life to cinema. Why so much hype when our icons get no recognition? After all, it’s mainly a Hollywood show, not truly international.#Oscars.”
“To be honest, it shouldn’t matter,” added another.
One more posted, “Hollywood wale dharmendra ko jaante bhi hai kya? (do they even know him)”
The 98th Academy Award is taking place at the Dolby Theatre.
The main Oscars ceremony began at 7:00 PM ET / 4:00 PM PT in the US.
ABC is the official broadcast partner. The event is also streaming live on Hulu. It is also available via live TV services like YouTube TV, FuboTV, and DirecTV Stream.
