Global Exclusive/ Michael Douglas 'humbled' to receive Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award at IFFI 2023

Michael Douglas is in India to receive the prestigious Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award at the 54th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI). The American actor and film producer spoke to Republic and expressed gratitude for receiving the award. He called Satyajit Ray a "renaissance man" and added that he played an important part in Indian and world cinema.

Michael Douglas on receiving the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award

Speaking further, the Ant-Man star said that he was surprised about receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award, but then realised that he has been making movies for over 5 decades. “It's always hard that you think you are due for lifetime achievement, but then I have to look back and realise that I've been making movies for 55 years,” Douglas reflected. Calling it a "lovely honour," he continued, "It's a lovely honour of realisation that your films have travelled around the world. But particularly for the honour to be named after Satyajit Ray who has played such an important part in cinema around the world is special."

"He was an extraordinarily renaissance man not always as a director but a writer, musician and author. So, I'm humbled, quite honestly to see the list of people who have received it before me and of course to be able to celebrate 25 year anniversary of this and I couldn't ask for a more celebratory time and so I'm looking forward to being here in Goa and Southern parts of India," he concluded.

Michael Douglas set to be honoured at IFFI 

Michael Douglas will be bestowed with the prestigious Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award during the closing ceremony of the 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) on November 28.

Meanwhile, during an event on Monday, the 78-year-old opened up reading 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 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. On his India trip, he was accompanied by his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones and son Dylan.