Los Angeles/Mumbai, March 28 (PTI): Melody queen Lata Mangeshkar and cinema veteran Dilip Kumar were not included in the 'In Memoriam' segment of the 94th Academy Awards, an apparent oversight from the organisers that left Indian fans enraged.
The absence of two of Indian cinema's giants from the 2022 Oscars ceremony was a glaring one, especially after the British Academy Film and Television Awards (BAFTA) honoured Mangeshkar and Kumar earlier this month.
In its 2021 edition, the Oscars featured actor Irrfan Khan and Oscar winning costume designer Bhanu Athaiya in its tributes section, while Bollywood stars Rishi Kapoor and Sushant Singh Rajput found mention on the official website of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
The fans expressed their anger on Twitter, slamming the Academy for omitting the two Indian legends.
One user wrote, "Shame that @TheAcademy didn't pay homage to the two all time greats - Lata Mangeshkar & Dilip Kumar..."
"They should have shown Lata Mangeshkar and Dilip Kumar in the In Memoriam section ..I mean come on man! They are CINEMA LEGENDS! #Oscars," another person posted on Twitter.
One more Twitteratti referred to Will Smith and Chris Rock's slapgate incident and posted, "So #Oscars didn't have time to pay tribute to Indian legends #LataMangeshkar & #DilipKumar. Not that it should matter to us but they rightfully deserve a slap. Consider #WillSmith charging at #Oscar2022"
While Mangeshkar found a mention on the 2022 list, posted on the Academy's website, Kumar was absent from this line-up as well.
During the live telecast, the Oscars honoured actors such as Sidney Poitier, Betty White, Carmine Salinas, Olivia Dukakis, William Hurt, Ned Beatty, Peter Bogdanovich, Clarence Williams III, Michael K Williams, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Sally Kellerman, Yvette Mimeux, Sonny Chiba, Saginaw Grant, Dorothy Steel, Dean Stockwell, Melvin Van Peebles, Norman Lloyd, and Max Julien in the 'In Memoriam' segment at the show held at Dolby Theatre here.
Composer-lyricist Steven Sondheim of "West Side Story" fame; cinematographer Hayla Hutchins; talent manager Chris Huvane; producers Jerome Hellman, David H DePatie, Martha De Laurentiis, Brian Goldner, Irwin W Young, Alan Lard Jr; "Superman" director Richard Donner; "Ghostbusters" filmmaker Ivan Reitman; costume designer Emi Wada; directors Jean-Marc Vallee, Lina Wertmulller, Douglas Trumbull, Felipe Cazals; visual effects supervisor Robert Blalack, Bill Taylor; film editor John Gregory, David Brenner, Lewis Erskine; casting director Don Phillips; "Pinocchio" animator Ruthie Thompson; stunt coordinator-performer Brad Allan, and composer Mikis Theodorakis were also remembered.