Oscars 2021: Irrfan, Sushant Singh Rajput, Bhanu Athaiya remembered during In Memoriam

The 2021 Oscars paid respect to all the entertainment icons who passed away over the last year in their Memorium segment. The 93rd Academy award paid tribute to Indian actor Irrfan Khan, Oscar-winning costume designer Bhanu Athaiya and actor Sushant Singh Rajput in the Academy's In Memorium segment. Irrfan had worked in several International projects like Life of Pi, Jurassic World, Slumdog Millionaire, and others while Bhanu won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for Gandhi in 1982.

Oscars 2021 honours best talents who passed away in 2020-2021 

According to the official website of Oscars, actress Frieda Pinto, who worked with Irrfan in Slumdog Millionaire, shared her memories of the iconic actor for the Academy. "There was simply no one like Irrfan Khan. His grace and dignity along with his monumental talent as an artist, actor - a portrayer of humanity in all its shapes and forms - made me not only have deep admiration for him but I instinctively wanted to emulate that grace in my career as well," she wrote. A longtime fan of Irrfan's work, Freida believes there is something for everyone in his repertoire. Here, she shares the movies that are closest to her heart. 

 

Countless fans are still devastated over the death of Sushant Singh Rajput who passed away on June 14 after he was found dead at his Mumbai apartment. Angela Bassett introduced this year's powerful In Memoriam with a reflection of all the powerful icons that left for the heavenly abode last year due to the crisis. This In Memoriam segment had even more stars to honor, due to the fact that it's been more than a full year since the last Academy Awards ceremony, and many past Oscar winners and nominees have died over the last 14 months.

The segment paid tribute to Chadwick Boseman, who is the only posthumously nominated actor at this year's show, for his role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. The actor passed away in August 2020 following a battle with colon cancer at the age of 43. Apart from the stars mentioned above, the In Memorium segment also paid tribute to other Hollywood stars like Sean Connery, Cloris Leachman, Christopher Plummer, Hal Holbrook, Ian Holm, George Segal, Cicely Tyson, and many more who died over the last year.

Other than the Oscars, Irrfan Khan and late actor Rishi Kapoor were also paid tribute by the people the 74th British Academy Film Awards' (BAFTA) 'In Memoriam' segment. Irrfan Khan had passed away in April last year after fighting with a colon infection, while Rishi Kapoor breathed his last in May 2020 due to leukemia. 

(Image credit: PTI/ SatishBharadwaj/ Twitter/RIPIrrfanKhan/ Instagram)