Chicken tikka masala and Bollywood leading lady Aishwarya Rai top Will Smith's list of favorites in India. He also says he's keen to see the Taj Mahal on his first trip to the South Asian nation.

The American movie and music star is in India for a week to launch Sony Entertainment's new English language movie channel, Pix, and make a guest appearance on Indian Idol, the South Asian country's version of the U.S. hit, the Hindustan Times newspaper reported Tuesday.

His first impressions? ''Just recently I got to know the number of films Bollywood makes a year - a whopping 800. And each with its share of song, music, dance and drama,'' he was quoted as saying.

''I am simply enticed to be part of it,'' he said, adding: ''I also want to explore the possibility of a collaboration between'' Hollywood and Bollywood, as India's film industry is known. But, of course, he's got preferences.

''I would do anything that Aishwarya Rai will be part of,'' he said. ''I love her so.''

And then there's the food and history. ''I also want to taste the authentic chicken tikka masala,'' a grilled poultry dish flavored with Indian spices, said Smith, who also plans to see the Taj Mahal.''Ever since childhood, I've heard a lot about the culture and colors of this country,'' he was quoted as saying. ''I will try to gather as much as possible, though I am being constantly cautioned by my wife to leave some things for our next visit together.''