Anil Kapoor to host Tom Cruise in India

For all those who have been putting up Tom Cruise posters in their room right from the time of "Top Gun" to "Mission: Impossible", here's good news. Not only is "Mission: Impossible 4" ("M:I:4") releasing in India ahead of the US, the Hollywood star is taking out almost two days for his first-ever India trip.

And (a) while a Mumbai touchdown for a screening of "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" is certain, he may add Delhi to the itinerary too, and (b) he's not coming alone - he's bringing along wife Katie Holmes and daughter Suri, who's loved by cameras and is arguably the world's youngest globally recognised fashionista.

DT has learnt that the actor will come to India after a promotional trip to South Korea, and will therefore take a flight from Seoul to either Mumbai or Delhi to arrive late at night on December 3. The Delhi part of his trip is still not locked, but efforts are underway to see if Cruise's tight schedules can include both cities as part of his India touchdown. He will fly out on the 5th, after spending about a day-and-a-half in the country. And no, he isn't going to the Taj Mahal; this isn't a recreational trip, as the star is focused on promoting "M:I:4".

Or is he? When DT asked Anil Kapoor - who would be playing host along with Viacom 18 - to verify details of Tom's visit, he begged to differ on this point. "This is not just a movie promo trip. I see it as a combination of movie promotions and the keeping of a gentleman's word. This goes back to the Golden Globe awarded to "Slumdog Millionaire" in January 2009, you'd remember Tom was the celebrity called to give away the award, and that was when I first spoke to him. We spoke about what a huge fan following he has in India, and I told him he must plan a trip. He'd promised me that he would try to work that out. Then, when I landed a guest appearance in "M:I:4" and met him next in LA, I reminded him of the India trip, and this time, he said he was going to have it in place shortly. I think he has built this into his global travels this time as a conscious effort along with the studio. After all, when has a star of his stature ever come here as part of a movie promo activity?"

Fair enough, Anil. But Tom will have to watch out for a diversion of attention once he brings the family along. Not only is Katie a Hollywood star in her own right, little Suri - who has fashion blogs dedicated to her famous designer outfits - is quite capable of giving Tom a run for his money when it comes to shutterbug attention!