Like every year, The Academy Awards’ In Memoriam section paid tributes to filmmakers and artists who departed the world in 2020. And not surprisingly for a year that took away so many, the list was a long one.
Among the notable deceased personalities that got a nod were Ian Holm, Sean Connery Max von Sydow, Christopher Plummer, Chadwick Boseman and our own Bhanu Athaiya and Irrfan Khan.
Bhanu Athaiya was the first Oscar winner from India, taking home the trophy for Best Costume Design for the 1982 film Gandhi. Irrfan Khan was an international actor who died after a long battle with cancer on April 29. Angela Bassett introduced the In Memoriam with a sombre reflection on the past year.
Cicely Tyson, Cloris Leachman, Yaphet Kotto, Joel Schumacher, Bertrand Tavernier, Jean-Claude Carrière, Olivia de Havilland, Paula Kelly, George Seagal, were among the other notable ones who passed away.
Rishi Kapoor and Sushant Singh Rajput were absent from the list, and their fans on social media have commented on their absence. However, they were remembered on the website of the Academy Awards in a special In Memoriam section.