Amitabh Bachchan awarded honorary doctorate by Australian university

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan was on Thursday awarded an honorary doctorate by the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Australia.

"I am truly overwhelmed and immensely pleased to be the recipient of such a distinction," 69-year-old Bachchan said after receiving his fourth doctorate for his contribution to the world of entertainment.

"The recognition of my contribution to Indian cinema and its effort to reach out to an international community fills me with intense pride and humility, pride for being able to be a link between Australian and Indian professionals of the film and creative industries and humility for a chance to be the medium in doing so. May this help strengthen the existing bonds between our two countries," he said.

This is the fourth doctorate awarded to the actor. He was earlier conferred upon by the De Montfort Univ, Leicester UK, Jhansi University and the Delhi University. The actor had two years back turned down the honorary doctorate from QUT as a mark of protest against racial attacks on Indian students.
Australia's High Commissioner to India Peter Varghese congratulated the Bollywood superstar on his honorary Australian doctorate. "I congratulate Bachchan on his honorary doctorate from QUT, an important academic institution in my home city of Brisbane.

Bachchan has made an inestimable contribution to global cinema and this prestigious award is a marker of the impact of his films in Australia," he said.