Twitter Notices the Omission of Lata Mangeshkar, Dilip Kumar in the In Memoriam Segment at the Oscars
- Several Indians express disappointment, especially after the two were honored with a tribute at the BAFTA earlier this month.
Two doyens of Indian cinema — melody queen Lata Mangeshkar and veteran actor Dilip Kumar — were conspicuous by their absence from the ‘In Memoriam’ segment of the 94th Academy Awards last night (March 27). The Academy omitted the two from the segment that pays tributes to those that passed away in the last year. While Mangeshkar was mentioned on the 2022 list, posted on the Academy’s website, Kumar was absent from this line-up as well. The two were honored by the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) earlier this month.
Mangeshkar died on Feb. 6 due to covid-related complications. She was 92. Regarded as one of Indian cinema’s greatest playback singers, she started her career at the age of 13 in 1942 and has sung over 25,000 songs in various Indian languages. A recipient of the Bharat Ratna, Padma Bhushan, Dadasaheb Phalke Award, and many others, she was also conferred by France its highest civilian award, the Officer of the Legion of Honor, in 2007.
Kumar, one of India’s earliest method actors and a most beloved figure in Indian cinema, died on July 7, 2021, at the age of 98. He was the last of a trio of actors who ruled Hindi cinema in the 1950s and ’60s.
Last year, the Oscars included 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.
While Will Smith and Chris Rock were trending on all social media sites for obvious reasons, several Indians took to Twitter to express disappointment in the omission of Mangheskar and Kumar.
Journalist Swati Chaturvedi wrote that with the omission the Academy has proven that it can’t see beyond the U.S.
Similarly, Investor D Prashanth Nair said that while many are tweeting about #willsmithchrisrock , the fact is #Oscars skipped even a mention to Latadi and Dilip Kumar“Hope Oscars see a larger world.”
Sad that while many are tweeting about #willsmithchrisrock , the fact is #Oscars skipped even a mention to Latadi and Dilip Kumar
— D Prasanth Nair (@DPrasanthNair) March 28, 2022
Hope Oscars see a larger world. https://t.co/FSwHrlbsit
A user named Pa Cena lamented the omission as well. “They really shouldn’t have excluded Dilip Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar,” he tweeted.
Senior Management & IT Consultant Sharad Khandelwal urged Indians to create our space in worldwide market. “ It’s a shame that Oscars have not given due respect to our legend Bharat Ratna Late Lata Mangeshkar, we should condemn it rather than showing their unwanted stories. Time to create our space in worldwide market.”