Sir Ben Kingsley, who rocked the world over with his performance as Mahatma Gandhi in Richard Attenborough's Gandhi, said that he is seeking finances for his forthcoming Taj. Sir Kingsley, who is set to portray the character of Shahjahan, has been accorded 'Z' category security and will be escorted by a specially designated police escort vehicle, a personal security guard and a quick reaction team (QRT) during his stay in Goa.

The Guest of Honour at the IFFI, Kingsley will walk the red carpet on Monday.

"I am passionate about India. Taj Mahal is one of the Seven Wonders of the World and is the only monument that has love and grief frozen into marble eternally. I am compelled to find out why and how. That is the motivation to do this film," Kingsley began.

Elaborating, Kingsley said he is in Goa only to make his dream come true. "I am here to create awareness about the film and am hoping to get people to come forward to contribute funds. I need money to make this film. Through my creation, I want to highlight more of the beautiful Indian culture and elevate India to its rightful place in the globe," he said.

Going nostalgic, Kingsley said that his big moment came when he was knighted in the 2001 New Years Honours list and the Padma Shri. "The Padma Shri is a very warm embrace from India, the country I am in love with, and the knighthood is a very warm embrace from my mother country, England."

How does he perceive awards? "When a theatre artist performs on stage, he is applauded by a live audience. But for a film actor, nominations and awards are what we hear as applause. I got the Grammy for reciting the words of Gandhi on record. It holds a place of pride in my home library."

Touching on Goa, Kingsley says that the filming of Gandhi was his first visit to India. "Now I will travel to Mumbai, Delhi and Agra for my film. I am really touched by your hospitality," he said with honesty.