- The 79th BAFTA ceremony was held at London's Royal Festival Hall on February 22
- Dharmendra was honored in the In Memoriam segment following his death in November 2023
- Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another won six awards from 14 nominations at BAFTA 2026
The 79th edition of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) took place at London's Royal Festival Hall on February 22.
Legendary Hindi film icon Dharmendra, who died on November 24 last year, was remembered in the In Memoriam segment.
Jessie Ware took to the stage and delivered an emotional rendition of Barbra Streisand's "The Way We Were" as she paid tribute to iconic film figures from around the world who died over the past year.
The In Memoriam segment remembered icons such as Diane Keaton, Terence Stamp, Catherine O'Hara, Rob Reiner, Gene Hackman, Robert Duvall, Tom Stoppard, Brigitte Bardot, Lalo Schifrin, Michael Madsen, and Val Kilmer. Indian actor Dharmendra was also featured in the tribute.
Take a look:
About BAFTA 2026
At BAFTA 2026, Paul Thomas Anderson's political thriller One Battle After Another led the pack with 14 nominations. Of those, it won six awards, cementing its position at the top.
Ryan Coogler's vampire drama Sinners, which earned 13 nominations, ended up winning three—setting a record for the most honours for a film by a Black director.
BOONG, a Manipuri-language Indian film backed by Farhan Akhtar, won in the Children's & Family Film category, marking India's win on the global stage.
Kirk Jones' Tourette syndrome advocate dramedy I Swear and Frankenstein also won three awards each, while Hamnet won two.
Scottish actor, writer, and host Alan Cumming hosted this year's BAFTA awards show.
Alia Bhatt presented the award in Best Film Not In English Language.
About Dharmendra
Dharmendra, who would have turned 90 on December 8, died at his Mumbai home after being discharged from Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital on November 12.
Dharmendra has been conferred with the Padma Vibhushan posthumously this year. Reacting to the announcement, veteran actor-politician Hema Malini expressed pride and gratitude, saying, "So so proud that the govt has recognised Dharam ji's immense contribution to the film industry by bestowing on him the prestigious Padma Vibhushan award."