Cannes 2023: Madhur Bhandarkar has a fan moment with Michael Douglas

It’s a fan moment for filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar as he meets Hollywood veteran Michael Douglas at the ongoing 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival.

Taking to Instagram, the filmmaker dropped the picture with Douglas. Sharing the picture, he wrote, “My Fan moment with the charismatic and legendary @michaelkirkdouglas sir at the #CannesFilmFestival 2023, #IndianPavilion. #MichaelDouglas”

 Madhur Bhandarkar who was part of the Indian Pavilion Inauguration at Cannes Film Festival 2023 with Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr L.Murugan, Khushbu Sundar, Sara Ali Khan, Guneet Monga, and Vijay Varma met Douglas during the event.

Douglas was felicitated by India Pavilion at Cannes on Thursday.

He was welcomed to the India Pavilion by Union Minister L Murugan.

Sharing pictures from his meeting with the legendary star, Murugan tweeted, “Delighted to meet legendary Hollywood actor Michael Douglas at India Pavillion #CannesFilmFestival2023. Had a wonderful discussion with him on a range of topics- Indian movies’ growing reach from Local to Global.”

Murugan also invited Douglas to attend the upcoming edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) Goa in November this year. “Also apprised him about upcoming 54th #IFFI, Goa India’s biggest film festival,” he tweeted.

During the meeting, Douglas expressed his love for India. He said he has been to India before, and his wife, actor Catherine Zeta-Jones, loves the country and is a “pretty good Bollywood dancer”.

“I’m very impressed with the energy, imagination, and creativity. As somebody who watches news and current events, India is hot. India is rocking,” Douglas said.

Douglas received the honorary Palme d’Or at the 76th Cannes Film Festival. He also received a lengthy standing ovation as he cruised on stage in Bunuel theatre to chair a masterclass session where he broke down his career as an actor and producer, Deadline reported. Opening the session, Douglas said that he has a long history with the Cannes Film Festival, which began with his father, Kirk, who met his stepmother Anna at the festival.

He went on to list some of the films he has brought to the Croisette over the years, including Steven Soderbergh’s pic Behind the Candelabra, which screened in 2013. Douglas said that at the time, his performance as Liberace in the pic was in the pole position to nab the Festival’s Best Actor prize, but his momentum was quashed by critics who said the project couldn’t be described as a feature film because it was set to be released on HBO in the US.

Cannes Film Festival 2023 started on May 16 and will conclude on May 27. Established in 1946, the festival serves as a platform for filmmakers to showcase their works and compete for prestigious awards.