Catherine Zeta-Jones says an Indian doctor saved her life: ‘I’m here because of the brilliance of an Indian doctor’

Catherine Zeta-Jones is in India presently with husband-actor Michael Douglas, who is being honoured with the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award at the ongoing International Film Festival of India in Goa. At the press conference attended by Michael and Catherine on Monday, she shared an anecdote about her special connection to India and said that it was an Indian doctor who saved her life when she was 18-months-old.

At the press conference, The Mask of Zorro actor said, “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.”

Catherine Zeta-Jones also spoke about her love for Indian movies and said that her favourite Bollywood movie is Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Om Shanti Om. When asked if she would like to be a part of an Indian film, Catherine said she would love that and went on to praise 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 said that she was on an international flight when she chanced upon the film and watched it twice, back to back. The actor shared that as soon as she touched the ground, she called her agent and learnt that director Ritesh Batra was also in London, so she met him. Catherine said that she is still waiting to work with him, and would wait happily.

The Lunchbox starred late Irrfan Khan and Nimrat Kaur in the lead roles.

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