Few Hollywood types at Modi’s White House dinner

The guest list for Thursday night’s state dinner honoring Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was full of distinguished names and titans of industry, and almost no one fun.

State dinners usually have a healthy mix of Washington and Hollywood, inviting celebrities with ties to the honored country. So you’d expect to see celebrities like Mindy Kaling, Kal Penn, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Padma Lakshmi walking through the photographer gantlet at the White House. But the guest list was decidedly lowwattage: The most recognizable name (other than tennis legend Billie Jean King) was director M. Night Shyamalan, and the most recognizable Hollywood face was Maulik Pancholy, who played beleaguered assistant Jonathan on “30 Rock.”

Perhaps Modi is too controversial a leader for celebrities to clink glasses with? Or maybe it was to signal that this dinner was about serious diplomacy, as India’s profile rises on the world stage: newly the most-populated nation on Earth, the largest democracy and a potential bulwark against China. Whatever the reason, it made for a state dinner that was all business and no play; tables with hundreds of tiny candles but no lightness.

The turnout was better from Silicon Valley. Apple CEO Tim Cook flashed a peace sign as he breezed past the photo scrum. Other guests included Anne Wojcicki, the cofounder and CEO of 23andMe; Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella; Alphabet (so, Google) CEO Sundar Pichai; and Hemant Taneja, CEO and managing director at the venture capital firm General Catalyst. Indian American lawmakers included Representatives Pramila Jayapal, Democrat of Washington; Ami Bera, Democrat of California; Raja Krishnamoorthi, Democrat of Illinois; and Shri Thanedar, Democrat of Michigan.