SATURDAY, JULY 27, 2024
Dolcy D’Cruz
Academy award winning actors, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, dazzled film lovers at the 54th International Film Festival of India as they arrived at the Inox courtyard and walked the red carpet. Looking gorgeous as always, Catherine wore a solo strapped blue flowing gown as she accompanied her husband, Michael, who looked very dapper in a specially designed jacket with the print of leopards by artistes from Rajasthan.
Honoured to be in Goa and to be a part of IFFI, the couple
were all praises for the country as they have visited India four times now.
“India is very dear to our hearts and all our family. We have just been
welcomed with open arms. India has touched me in a very personal way that it
was an Indian doctor who saved my life with a tracheotomy when I was just 18
months old. That is why I have this feeling of coming home and maybe it is
something to do with that and the reason why I am actually here is because of
the brilliance of an Indian doctor at Swansea, South Wales in the UK. I am
forever indebted to him. I am looking forward to tomorrow night when we will
all be seated as Michael receives this amazing honour,” said Catherine.
Michael Douglas has been in the film industry for 55 years
and found it difficult to move out of his actor father Kirk Douglas’ shadow for
a long time. “The beauty of this film festival is that 78 foreign counties
represented and it is only a reflection of the strength of your industry which
is renowned and known around the world,” said Michael.
Speaking about whether they are working on any project in
India with Shailendra Singh, a film producer who has released 65 films in India
and abroad, Michael said, “Shailendra put his head to it and we are all working
on a script that we are all interested in and we can hope to go to the next
draft of the script.”
“I have always been a huge fan of Bollywood. Being a singer
and dancer, I dreamt of the british film industry would do a Bollywood type
film and I would be ale to be cast in it. I showed my kids the film, ‘Om Shanti
Om’, which is my favourite movies. Whenever Dylan had his friends come over, he
would say, ‘Would you want to see a movie from India? It’s my mom’s favourite
movie’, says Catherine as Dylan quips in, “I watched it many times and it is a
long movie.” She adds that her favourite Indian movie is ‘The Lunchbox’.
Earlier in the year, Michael was awarded the honorary Palm
D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival adding to his award collection of two Academy
Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, and an Emmy Award. He is known for his
stellar performance in films like ‘Wall Street’, ‘Basic Instinct’, ‘The
American President’, ‘Traffic’ and ‘Behind the Candelabra’. He has also
produced the Academy Best Film ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ starring Jack
Nicholson. He will be receiving the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement award at
the closing ceremony of the 54th International Film Festival of India today,
November 28.
