Every year the ‘In Memoriam’ section of the Academy Awards pays tribute to all the cherished, famous and much-loved individuals from across the world. These people could be from any film industry and from any country. However, this year, they’ve failed to recognise the works of late actor Dilip Kumar and late singer Lata Mangeshkar.
Indian fans from all over were looking forward to seeing these two Indian luminaries be present on the list of celebrities in the ‘In Memoriam’ section who passed away last year. Sadly, the Indian fans were left disheartened as there was no such mention of Dilip Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar’s names.
In the past, Indian celebrities like Irrfan Khan, Bhanu Athaiya, Sushant Singh Rajput, Om Puri and Rishi Kapoor have been paid respects in the ‘In Memoriam’ section of the Oscars.
This year the list of celebs who were paid a tribute included legendary artistes like Sidney Poitier, Betty White, and William Hurt.
For the unversed, Mangeshkar died on February 6, this year, while Kumar died on July 7, last year. Both individuals made enormous contributions to Indian cinema by creating everlasting works of film and music. Mangeshkar sang in over 36 different languages all over the world.
On social media, fans have also expressed their anger and bafflement on this snub from the Academy Awards 2022. One fan wrote, “I was actually expecting #LataMangeshkar to be mentioned in the #Oscars In Memoriam. But well… (sic).” One other tweeted, “#Oscars2022 #LataMangeshkar of #Bollywood fame – Nightingale of India – not even mentioned among the movie folks who passed away in the last year (sic).” One fan went on to claim that Mangeshkar had given vocals to more songs than “shown in all Oscars combined”. Another fan added, “Yet, the #Oscars2022 #Inmemoriam did not see it fit to honor her even with a mention. Sometimes, I think, colonialism still lives on… (sic).”
The British Academy of Film and Television Awards 2022. (BAFTA) had paid a tribute to both Mangeshkar and Kumar when it ceremony took place earlier this month.