In Memoriam: Cinema stars we lost in 2025
New Delhi (PTI): Dharmendra, Asrani, Manoj Kumar, Kamini Kaushal... 2025 was the year that Indian cinema lost some of its brightest and best, those who have passed away but will live on through their work in the movies that mirror the concerns of an evolving India. Here are some who we said goodbye to:
Dharmendra: One of the most loved stars with a filmography that featured classics such as "Sholay", "Anupama" and "Chupke Chupke", Dharmendra's death just days before his 90th birthday marked the end of an era in Hindi cinema.
Dharmendra died on November 24 after being in and out of hospital for over a month. Fans of Dharmendra, who is still considered one of the most good looking stars that the Hindi cinema ever produced, will get to see his last performance in Sriram Raghavan's "Ikkis". The film releases on January 1, 2026.
Manoj Kumar: A close friend of Dharmendra from his days of struggle and a star who redefined patriotic movies in Hindi cinema with films such as "Upkar", "Purab Aur Paschim" and "Kranti", Manoj Kumar died on April 4 this year after prolonged illness. He was 87. Both Dharmendra and Manoj Kumar shared a close bond and Dharmendra once revealed that he had almost abandoned his acting dreams but Manoj Kumar convinced him to stay back in Mumbai.
Govardhan Asrani: In the year that "Sholay" completed 50 glorious years of its release, the industry lost two of its most famous stars in the death of Dharmendra and Asrani.
Asrani, who memorably played the jailor with a colonial hangover in the early part of the movie, was 84. Not just "Sholay", Asrani left an indelible mark as a character artist in a series of movies, most memorably in "Chupke Chupke", "Abhimaan" and "Baton Baton Mein". He had a long innings of over 300 films in Hindi cinema.
Kamini Kaushal: One of Hindi cinema's most educated and earliest female stars, Kamini Kaushal died on November 14 at the age of 98. Kaushal, who worked with all the top stars of her era but most prominently with Dilip Kumar in "Shaheed", "Nadiya Ke Paar" and "Shabnam", began her career with 1946 film "Neecha Nagar". Other than movies, Kaushal was also an avid puppeteer and a writer.
: Singer and Assam's cultural icon Zubeen Garg's death at the age of 52 brought an unprecedented outpouring of grief from public in the state with lakhs attending his last rites. Garg, who had travelled to Singapore to attend the North East India Festival, died while swimming in the sea on September 19.
Satish Shah: The "Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron" actor, who was loved for his roles in movies as well as TV shows, died due to kidney failure on October 25. He was 74. The actor memorably played Indravardhan opposite Ratna Pathak Shah in "Sarabhai vs Sarabhai" and professor Rasai in Shah Rukh Khan's "Main Hoon Na".
B. Saroja Devi: Legendary South Indian actor whose work spanned Tamil, Telugu and Kannada movies, B Saroja Devi was known for her strong presence on the screen. She featured in movies such as "Paasamalar", "Kalyana Parisu", "Enga Veettu Pillai", "Palum Pazhamum", "Mahakavi Kalidasa", "Kittur Chennamma", "Jagadeka Veeruni Katha". She acted opposite MGR in over 20 films.
Sandhya Shantaram: A popular star of yesteryear Hindi and Marathi cinema, Sandhya Shantaram died at the age of 94 in October. Her most noted films are "Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje", "Do Aankhen Barah Haath", "Navrang" and "Pinjra" -- all directed by popular filmmaker and husband V Shantaram.
Shefali Jariwala: Popular TV actor Shefali Jariwala shot to fame with her breakout appearance in the remix track "Kaanta Laga", and also appeared on several reality shows like "Bigg Boss", "Nach Baliye". Her untimely death at the age of 42 shocked fans.
Pankaj Dheer: Television star Pankaj Dheer, known for playing Karna in B R Chopra's "Mahabharat" and king Shivdutt in fantasy drama "Chandrakanta", died on October 15 following a battle with cancer. He was 68.
Sulakshana Pandit: Renowned singer and actress from Hindi cinema Sulakshana Pandit, known for her voice and roles in films of 1970s, passed away at 71 in November. She was the sister of actor Vijayta Pandit and famous music composer duo Jatin-Lalit.
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Texas halts H-1B visas at state universities, agencies; to affect Indians
Houston (US) (PTI): Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered state agencies and public universities to immediately halt new H-1B visa petitions, tightening hiring rules at taxpayer-funded institutions, a step likely to impact Indian professionals.
The freeze will remain in effect through May 2027.
The directive issued on Tuesday said that the state agencies and public universities must stop filing new petitions unless they receive written approval from the Texas Workforce Commission.
The governor's order, in a red state that is home to thousands of H-1B visa holders, comes as the Trump administration has initiated steps to reshape the visa programme.
“In light of recent reports of abuse in the federal H-1B visa programme, and amid the federal government’s ongoing review of that programme to ensure American jobs are going to American workers, I am directing all state agencies to immediately freeze new H-1B visa petitions as outlined in this letter,” Abbot said.
Institutions must also report on H-1B usage, including numbers, job roles, countries of origin, and visa expiry dates, the letter said.
US President Donald Trump on September 19 last year signed a proclamation ‘Restriction on entry of certain non-immigrant workers’ that restricted the entry into the US of those workers whose H-1B petitions are not accompanied or supplemented by a payment of USD 1,00,000.
The H1-B visa fee of USD 1,00,000 would be applicable only to new applicants, i.e. all new H-1B visa petitions submitted after September 21, including those for the FY2026 lottery.
Indians make up an estimated 71 per cent of all approved H-1B applications in recent years, according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), with China in the second spot. The major fields include technology, engineering, medicine, and research.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is the second-highest beneficiary with 5,505 approved H-1B visas in 2025, after Amazon (10,044 workers on H-1B visas), according to the USCIS. Other top beneficiaries include Microsoft (5,189), Meta (5,123), Apple (4,202), Google (4,181), Deloitte (2,353), Infosys (2,004), Wipro (1,523) and Tech Mahindra Americas (951).
Texas public universities employ hundreds of foreign faculty and researchers, many from India, across engineering, healthcare, and technology fields.
Date from Open Doors -- a comprehensive information resource on international students and scholars studying or teaching at higher education institutions in the US -- for 2022-2023 showed 2,70,000 students from India embarked on graduate and undergraduate degrees in US universities, accounting for 25 per cent of the international student population in the US and 1.5 per cent of the total student population.
Indian students infuse roughly USD 10 billion annually into universities and related businesses across the country through tuition and other expenses – while also creating around 93,000 jobs, according to the Open Doors data.
Analysts warn the freeze could slow recruitment of highly skilled professionals, affecting academic research and innovation.
Supporters say the directive protects local jobs, while critics caution it could weaken Texas’ competitiveness in higher education and research.
The order comes amid broader debate in the US over skilled immigration and state-level interventions in federal programmes.
H-1B visas allow US companies to hire technically-skilled professionals that are not easily available in America. Initially granted for three years, these can be extended for another three years.
In September 2025, Trump had also signed an executive order ‘The Gold Card’, aimed at setting up a new visa pathway for those committed to supporting the United States; with individuals who can pay USD 1 million to the US Treasury, or USD 2 million if a corporation is sponsoring them, to get access to expedited visa treatment and a path to a Green Card.
