IFFI 2023: Catherine Zeta-Jones talks about special connection and says, 'Indian doctor saved her life'

Hollywood star Catherine Zeta-Jones is now in India with her husband, actor Michael Douglas, who received the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award at the International Film Festival of India in Goa. She recounted a narrative about her particular connection to India during a news conference attended by Michael and Catherine on Monday, saying that an Indian doctor saved her life when she was 18 months old.

The Ocean's Twelve star stated at a news conference, “The story I’ve never told before is that India has touched me in a very serious personal way. It was an Indian doctor who saved my life with a tracheotomy when I was 18 months old. I wonder why when I come to India, I have this feeling of coming home, and maybe it has something to do with that. The reason I’m here is because of the brilliance of an Indian doctor in the UK.”

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The actress also talked about her fondness for Indian films, stating that her favourite Bollywood film is Om Shanti Om, starring Shah Rukh Khan. When asked if she'd want to appear in an Indian film, Catherine responded yes and complimented Ritesh Batra's The Lunchbox. “In fact, one of my favourite films, which is not Bollywood, is called The Lunchbox, which is one of my favourite films of all time,” she said.

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Catherine stated that she discovered the movie (The Lunchbox) and watched it twice back to back while on an international flight. The actor revealed that as soon as she landed, she phoned her agency and discovered that director Ritesh Batra was also in London, so she met him. Catherine said she is still looking forward to working with him and would gladly do so.

• Catherine Zeta-Jones
• IFFI 2023
• International Film Festival of India
• Michael Douglas