The 98th Academy Awards, a global celebration of cinema, found itself at the center of controversy following Sunday night's broadcast. After the ceremony aired, the Oscars faced widespread backlash from international audiences for omitting legendary actors - including Bollywood icon Dharmendra - from the televised 'In Memoriam' segment.
In an interview with Variety, Rob Mills, Executive Vice President of Unscripted & Alternative Entertainment at Walt Disney Television and the executive overseeing the Oscars telecast for ABC, addressed the mounting criticism. Mills spoke about the difficult decisions involved in curating the segment, which honors industry figures who passed away in the previous year.
Calling it "the hardest thing they do," he defended the team's efforts and praised this year's execution, stating: "I think it's the hardest thing they possibly do. It always is hard when they are sort of villainised for this. Yes, there are always people who are left out."
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"Unfortunately, we're losing more and more people, and especially, we're losing legendary people every year, so it is probably the hardest needle to thread. I do think what they did last night might have been the best In Memoriam in the history of the Oscars."
Speaking to The Wrap, Mills elaborated on the extensive work that goes into shaping the tribute each year. He noted how the deaths of icons like Robert Redford and Diane Keaton had deeply influenced early planning for this edition. He explained: "Robert Redford passed away before, and then when Diane Keaton passed away - and those are two monumental legends."
"The advantage we had with the show was that the producers were in place before last year's show, so you can start planning for that now. When you lose people like that, the In Memoriam really needs to be done thoughtfully - these are legendary names we're losing."
"And then obviously the tragedy with Rob and Michelle Reiner was just awful. When that happened, I think that's when they really started to think about how this would take shape. It's a big task, and I think [Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan] met the moment beautifully," he added.
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While the Oscars' official website featured an extended list of nearly 300 individuals who passed away in the previous year, many of those names did not appear in the telecast. This sparked renewed complaints from viewers who felt that the televised segment should reflect global contributions to cinema.
The omission of Dharmendra, a beloved Indian veteran with a career spanning nearly 300 films, was met with particular outrage. Fans from India and the diaspora questioned how the Academy could uphold its claims of global inclusivity while overlooking an actor of his stature.
Bollywood legend Hema Malini and actor Esha Gupta expressed disappointment over the oversight. Hema Malini called it a "shame," emphasising that Dharmendra was not only a superstar in India but a respected figure across various regions of the world.
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