India, March 17 -- Bollywood veteran Dharmendra passed away at the age of 89 in November 2025. However, when the legendary actor was not mentioned in the In Memoriam segment at the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday, his wife, Hema Malini, expressed her disappointment, calling it "a shame".

In an interview with Subhash K Jha for Bollywood Hungama, Hema reacted to his omission from the Oscars tribute and 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."

She added, "He never got too many awards during his lifetime. Why should he care about the Oscars? Both of us were happy to be loved in our country....