Satyajit Ray was a “renaissance man” and it will be a great honour to receive a lifetime achievement award named after the ‘Pather Panchali’ filmmaker, Hollywood star Michael Douglas said yesterday, even while adding that the Indian film industry has taken great strides under the stewardship of PM Modi and Information & broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur.

Douglas will be felicitated with the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award during the concluding ceremony of the International Film Festival of India being held in Goa, a PTI report from Panaji stated.

The actor, accompanied by his actor-wife Catherine Zeta-Jones, walked the red carpet at the festival yesterday,.

“Thank you all for being here since it is an honour for Catherine and I and our son. Our family loves India. This is our fourth visit, first three times it is in North and now we have the pleasure, the joy and the honour of being here in Goa in the South, very grateful to IFFI to get this wonderful honour,” he said.

The 79-year-old actor said he had read the history of Satyajit Ray back in college in the 1960s while taking a film class. He became aware of some of the filmmaker’s work as well during that time.

“I think, he (Ray) sort of created, not the beginning of the Indian films but the idea of multiple jobs. He did so many things as an author, musician and editing as well as a director. So it’s a tremendous honour to receive this award and see the other people that have received it before,” the actor said.

Douglas said that when he heard about the award, he and his family were very happy. “They were happy for me… One day all of a sudden, it’s a career life achievement,” he said.

The eldest son of actor Kirk Douglas, the actor has won multiple awards, including two Oscars, five Golden Globe trophies as well as the Cecil B DeMille award.

He is most famous for his roles in films such as ‘Wall Street’, ‘Fatal Attraction’, ‘The War of the Roses’, ‘Basic Instinct’, ‘The American President’ and ‘Wonder Boys’.

 Meanwhile, another report stated that while praising the organisiers of IFFi for having brought together such diverse films from various parts of the globe, Douglas said that India is investing more money into production of movies in the last few years under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Minister for Information & Broadcasting Anurag Thakur.

Interacting with the media in Panaji, Douglas, along with his actress-wife Catherine Zeta-Jones, said that this was the best time for the Indian cinema industry, and the representation of more than 78 foreign countries at the 54^th IFFI is a reflection of its strength.

“Indian films are renowned all around the world and are travelling more and more to various corners of the world. Streaming platforms are playing an important part in this growth”, he added, according to an official briefing of the interaction put out by the organisers.

Highlighting the role of movies in uniting the world, Douglas said that movies share same language and “brings us closer together”. “The audience from all around the world can understand what is going on in movies. Movies create this international connection. This is the magic, beauty and joy of this industry and that’s why I love this business very much,” he exulted.

Praising Indian film ‘RRR’s success at the Oscars, Douglas said that it is a spectacular achievement for India and it will boost confidence and encourage the industry to craft many more such big films.

Speaking about his father Kirk Douglas, acclaimed American actor and filmmaker, the five time Golden Globe Award winner said that stepping out of his father’s shadow took a very long time.

“During earlier part of my career, I was playing softer kind of roles. People used to compare me with my father. Winning Academy award nomination for the movie ‘Wall Street’ was a tremendous moment. It was a validation received from my peers,” he candidly shared.

Reinforcing his liking for content than budget, Douglas clarified that while selecting a film, material is the most important thing for him.

“I will prefer something that emotionally moves me. I would rather play a small part in a good movie than a big part in a bad movie”, he said.  On his plans of venturing into Indian film, Douglas remarked that producer Shailendra Singh is working on an outline of the script in which he is interested.

Catherine Zeta-Jones Loves ‘Om Shanti Om’ : Douglas’ wife and the BAFTA award winning actress Zeta-Jones also revealed her love for Indian films and expressed her interest to be part of Bollywood films.

 “‘The Lunchbox’ is one of my favourite Indian movies. I watched it twice back to back. The film really touched me”, Zeta-Jones said.  She also shared her liking for Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone-starrer ‘Om Shanti Om’, which she has watched many time with her family and friends.

“I have always been a huge fan of Bollywood and being a singer and a dancer, I dreamt (that) maybe the British film industry would do the Bollywood type of films and I would be able to be cast,” she told reporters in Panaji.