Oprah Winfrey Set to Shoot TV Show During First Trip to India

NEW DELHI – Oprah Winfrey arrived in Mumbai Monday without much media fanfare as she was whisked to the luxurious Taj Mahal Palace and Tower hotel. The talk show host was welcomed at the hotel (which hosted Tom Cruise in December) with a traditional garland while eight visually challenged boys from the charity Happy Home sang a song “Swagatam” (Welcome) in the ancient Sanskrit language.

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The talk show host is in India till 22 January and her packed schedule kicked off Monday night with a private visit to the home of Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan whose actor son Abhishek and actress wife Aishwarya recently had a baby daughter. The star couple were guests on Winfrey's show in the US a couple years ago.

“The gracious Oprah Winfrey visits our home, to meet us and bless the baby... warm hearted, endearing... And Oprah in sari, looking lovely! ”, Amitabh Bachchan posted on his Twitter account Monday night.

Wearing an orange and golden saree gifted by Aishwarya, Winfrey was then driven by the Bachchans to an exclusive private party in her honor hosted by top socialite Parmeshwar Godrej.

The sit-down dinner was attended by some of Bollywood's leading names including actors  Hrithik Roshan, Anil Kapoor and Abhay Deol alongwith actresses Priyanka Chopra, Shilpa Shetty, Preity Zinta and Lara Dutta, among other Mumbai high society figures.

Winfrey's interaction with Indian celebrities created a minor online buzz. “Met #Oprahwinfrey an awesome woman... spent an unforgettable magical evening in her presence!” well-known director Madhur Bhandarkar posted on his Twitter account.

“Tonight was dinner at the Godrej House wid Oprah Winfrey. Nice 2 see her wear a beautiful Sari :),” actress Preity Zinta (who also hosts her own TV talk show) tweeted.

According to reports, Winfrey's agenda includes a three-day visit, from 20 January, at the Jaipur Literature Festival (about 144 miles from Delhi) where she is expected to shoot a major portion of her show Oprah's Next Chapter. The India segment is to include an interview with well-known new age author Deepak Chopra to be filmed at the Jaipur City Palace, home of the Jaipur royal family who will also host a special evening for Winfrey and Chopra.

In addition, Winfrey and her accompanying crew are shooting another special, India Experience, which will take them to the Taj Mahal in Agra, the holy city of Rishikesh near the Ganges river, the capital Delhi and Mumbai.

Winfrey landed in India from South Africa where she attended the first ever graduation ceremony of 72 students of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in Johannesburg.