Australian university to honour Bollywood actor

Australia's La Trobe University has announced plans to honour Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan with the La Trobe University Global Citizenship Award. Bachchan, who has appeared in over 180 Indian films, is expected to be handed the accolade during his visit to next month's Indian film Festival of Melbourne. The Australian institution is also introducing a Phd scholarship called Shri Amitabh Bachchan Scholarship. "Bachchan will be given the La Trobe University Global Citizenship Award which is a new award incepted by the university," Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor John Rosenberg told Australian news agency PTI. He confirmed that the award is to honour the exceptional leadership Bachchan has shown in his film career and his commitment to intercultural understanding. "We think Bachchan fits in this very well and we are very proud to give this to him," he added. The 4-year, $25,000 scholarship will be given to Indians opting to study anything related to India including media, philosophy, films.