Julia Roberts and her Personal Army

The much over-rated Hollywood actress Julia Roberts has called several sensations in India where she is filming a new movie “Eat, Pray, Love”.

In the film, Roberts plays the then 35-year-old Gilbert -- a soul-searching, NYC-based writer, who, in the wake of a bitter divorce undertakes a year-long sojourn to eat in Italy, pray in India and love in Indonesia.

Since arriving in the country on September 17, Roberts and her three kids -- four-and-a-half-year-old twins Hazel and Phinnaeus and two-year-old son Henry -- have stayed at the Pataudi Palace hotel in Pautadi, Haryana, about 60 kilometres outside Delhi.

The Palace is the former abode of Pataudi Nawab and Indian cricket legend Mansoor Ali Khan.

Ryan Murphy, the film's director, and Hollywood actors Billy Crudup, Javier Bardem and Richard Jenkins are also in India, as part of a large group of American and Indian cast and crew. So large, in fact, that every room in the Palace has been booked for the entirety of the team's stay: September 17 to October 9.

41 year old Roberts has been escorted by almost 350 security men, three bullet-proof cars and a helicopter. Not feeling too safe?

'There are more than 100 policemen outside the set at Ashram Hari Mandir and almost equal number inside the premises, both uniformed and in civilian disguise. Nobody can breach this cover and no outsider is allowed to enter the ashram, no matter whosoever he or she is. We have strict instructions,' a Haryana police official told IANS, requesting anonymity.

Clearly, the proverbial Indian summer and the security are intimidating enough to keep even ardent fans away.

There was humidity, heat and buzzing flies. But the international cast and crew were reported also having to contend with incense smoke during the first day's shooting of their movie in this Haryana town.

While shooting at an ashram for a lunch scene Sunday, incense sticks were lit to create a spiritual ambience, but the cast and crew found the scented smoke a major irritant.

'Could you please shift this thing (the 'dhoop' stand) somewhere else, it's making me nauseous,' a character artist told one of the Indian crew.

It hasn´t all been work however. Roberts went to see Swami Dharam Dev in Ashram Harimandir hermitage with her children in nearby Pataudi. He put a marigold garland around her neck and tied traditional red-white mauli thread around her wrist. They were in converstion for almost 30 minutes.

Hindu statesman Rajan Zed has lauded Roberts’ interest in the culture and spirituality of India and urged her to further explore Hindu philosophy, thought and spirituality after returning home in USA.

I guess it´s possible.