April 25th saw the hosting of the 93rd Academy Awards. Last year has been a year of grave loss as several actors and filmmakers have passed away. Bollywood too has had its share of upheavals with the demise of Irrfan Khan, an actor who had made his mark in Hollywood as well, and Rishi Kapoor among other popular stars and artists.
While Bhanu Atthaiya and Irrfan Khan were honored posthumously, an “In Memoriam” page was introduced by Angela Bassett. She announced with a heavy heart that as per the records available till April 25th, 2021 a total of 3 million deaths have been recorded due to COVID -19 from all over the world. She also mentioned the numerous lives lost due to hatred, racism, injustice, and poverty. She mentioned that it was time to celebrate all artists, technology innovators, and pioneers who have helped the audience to love movies. She mentioned that each one of the departed will remain in their memories.
In April 2020 the very popular and versatile actor Irrfan Khan passed away due to a prolonged illness of neuroendocrine tumor. Noted costume designer Bhanu Atthaiya also got a mention in the video. On the “In Memorium” page those whose names were mentioned were – actors Soumitra Chatterjee, Rishi Kapoor, Sushant Singh Rajput, Shashikala amongst other Hollywood stars.
Cloris Leachman, Sean Connery, Christopher Plummer, Chadwick Boseman George Segal, Max von Sydow, Olivia de Havilland, Hal Holbrook, Cicely Tyson, and a few others luminaries whom we have lost recently were also mentioned.The top honors were won by Anthony Hopkins and Mc Dormand of France. All three prestigious awards – Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Picture were bagged by Nomadland.
Social distancing was observed by the attendees of this event.
