U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama is an undisputed hit in India after winning hearts with a Bollywood boogie and displaying a common touch critics say her husband sometimes lacks.
The Times of India hailed her as a "dancing queen" after she took to the floor twice during her visit to Mumbai, shaking a leg to Bollywood hits on Saturday and joining in a local folk dance with schoolchildren on Sunday. Photographs of the 46-year-old wearing a range of outfits from a sober grey tunic to a bright turquoise dress have been splashed in Indian newspapers, with most noting her style approvingly. Videos of the First Lady dancing have been getting play on Indian news channels, with leading station NDTV describing it as "the defining image of the Obamas' maiden visit to India."
India Today magazine drew attention to her "emotional appeal" with a headline saying, "Michelle steals Barack thunder."
"Obama appeals to the head, Michelle touches the heart, despite her formidable intelligence," the magazine noted, praising her "inordinate warmth" and calling the them "a perfect team at work."
Speaking to students at Mumbai's St. Xavier's College on Sunday, the First Lady peppered her speech with personal stories of her working-class childhood in Chicago and encouraged her audience to "keep dreaming big, gigantic dreams."