When Matt Damon met Shilpa Shetty

It is a meeting that not too many people are aware of.  When Bollywood hottie Shilpa Shetty was in Cape Town for a cricket tournament in 2009, she met Hollywood actor Matt Damon, who remembers the rendezvous vividly.

“I happened to meet Shilpa in Cape Town! She’s a very warm person and charming of course!” is how Damon recalls his first encounter with a Bollywood denizen.

Damon says that had it not been for the dancing bit, he would have said ‘yes’ to Bollywood by now. “I have seen a few Bollywood films, but naming is quite difficult! The films are full of colour! If I’d been able to do justice to the fact that most Bollywood movies require you to shake a leg, then I would definitely consider doing one,” says the Oscar-winning actor who will be seen in Hereafter, directed by Clint Eastwood.

But if not Bollywood, there are other India-related cause that Damon is involved with, which focuses on the significance of clean and safe drinking water.

“I’m already associated with the cause and am looking forward to increase awareness for the importance of clean water,” says the actor.

The Hollywood actor recollects his days in Chennai and Delhi, (in 2009) when he had come to India to promote the cause, with much fondness.

“I have been to India in 2009 for my H2O Africa Foundation, which aims at raising awareness about clean water initiatives. I was there for just a couple of days in Chennai and Delhi, but I made sure to have the Indian cuisine. I must admit that I am looking forward to another trip to India soon,” he adds.

Though he’s not keen on becoming filmmaker yet, Damon admits that he’s surprised with the phenomenon of many Hollywood filmmakers wanting to collaborate with their Indian counterparts. “India is a beautiful country and such collaborations  (Indo-Hollywood projects) have only grown phenomenally over the last few years!” he ends.