On November 28, 2023, Hollywood actor Micheal Douglas, along with his wife Catherine and son Dylan, at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) organised in the Indian state of Goa, said that under the regime of PM Narendra Modi, the Indian film Industry is in good hands and financing for films has increased significantly. He will receive the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award at the forum’s closing ceremony
Praise for PM Modi, Anurag Thakur
He lauded Union Minister Anurag Thakur and PM Modi for their contributions to the film industry, noting increased investments and success in recent years. Douglas emphasised the power of movies to transcend linguistic barriers and cultural obstacles, fostering unity regardless of race, selection, and gender.
“I mean, with all the different languages we speak, movies share the same language and audience from wherever you are in the world can understand what is going on, movies bring us closer and I think that is a very important aspect of it,” he said
“I do think that under Anurag Singh Thakur (Indian Minister of Information and Broadcasting) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, you have seen more money put into financing films. The spirit of this festival (IFFI) is that you have 78 foreign countries represented. It really speaks to the strengths of the Indian films. You are in very good hands,” he said.
Praise for Satyajit Ray
The actor also said that he had deeply studied films directed by Satyajit Ray, namely Pathar Panchali and Charulata, while he was a student in California and expressed that he was deeply influenced by them. He said that it was a great honour to receive the award named after the Indian filmmaker.
“He created the idea of a new India and introduced so many genres. It was really an honour for us to receive the award. I was most amazed when I realised that Satyajit Ray was not just a great filmmaker but also a very good writer and musician and quite an extraordinary man.
Advanced Technology in Films
He said India’s brush with success at the Oscars with the film R will help uplift the entire film industry’s confidence. He also spoke of the Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) in the film and said that his work on a recent Marvel movie game gave him the first experience of technology.
“Artificial Intelligence (AI) is coming in very fast. You look at yourself in a mirror; it is not a good picture, and then they do your picture, a younger picture. It is a bit scary, and I must agree. I have never done a CGI film before. It was a very bizarre and wonderful experience,” Douglas said.
About Micheal Douglas
Douglas is a two-time Academy Award Winner and has won five Golden Globe Awards as well as an Emmy Award in his name. With his performance in movies like The Wall Street (1987), Basic Instinct (1992), Falling Down and many more and has set the bar of entertainment to towering heights.
