MUMBAI, (Reuters) – Academy Award winning director Oliver Stone praised India and its flamboyant Bollywood industry as he accepted a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 12th Mumbai Film Festival on Thursday.
“I came here many years ago to Calcutta as a young man to learn about another way of thinking,” Stone said to a standing ovation at one of the oldest movie theatres in the country’s financial and entertainment capital.
“I returned many times and learned many things from you.
You have a great culture and make great movies. I am honoured to receive this award from you.”
The festival’s organisers called Stone the “quintessential rebel child of Hollywood” who was unchanged by success.
“He has never hesitated to tackle any issue however touchy it is. He definitely deserves all our respect,” Srinivasan Narayanan, the festival director, told Reuters a few hours before the ceremony. “He is one of the most prolific film makers we have today.”
Stone’s last film, “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps”, the sequel to his 1987 classic, “Wall Street”, did modest business.
The director said earlier this week he had expected some people would be disappointed.
“I think it might disappoint some people that it’s not the old ‘Wall Street’ but I would never remake that film.
This is the new Wall Street and it’s worse in many ways. It’s harder,” he said.
Stone has won three Oscars in a career spanning three decades, exploring themes like war, greed and politics.
The 64-year-old film maker, who says his main purpose for the visit to India is to introduce local audiences to his 2004 epic “Alexander”, screened a re-cut version of the film, running into four hours late on Wednesday.
