M. Night Shyamalan was there. Jennifer Hudson sang to rousing applause. And author Jhumpa Lahiri listened to A.R. Rahman. No, this wasn’t the Oscars — it was a State Dinner the Obamas held last night for India’s P.M. Manmohan Singh. And the White House pulled out all the stops.

Seated before tablecloths of apple-green and floral decorations of  deep purple, meant to evoke India’s national bird (the peacock), 335 guests — many of whom were America’s most prominent Indian-Americans — dined on grub prepped by one of New York’s star chefs, who worked with fresh local ingredients grown at the White House garden. There were American dishes — such as a salad of arugula plucked from the White House lawn — and more Indian repas: Roasted Potato Dumplings with Tomato Chutney, Chickpeas and Okra; Green Curry Prawns with Caramelized Salsify, Smoked Collard Greens and Coconut Aged Basmati Rice. And as we’re so close to American Thanksgiving, one could not forget the Pumpkin Pie Tart to finish it all off.

At the President’s table sat Gursharan Kaur and Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo while at Mrs. Obama’s table sat Nobel-prize winning economist Dr. Amartya Sen.

But the real star was, perhaps, Naeem Kahn. The designer of the gorgeous metallic silvery-gold dress that Mrs. Obama chose to wear was born to a family of prominent Indian designers — who dressed Indian royalty and celebs. But as a teen, Kahn moved to the US and apprenticed at Halston. Six years ago, he founded his own line and has gone on to dress such celebs as J-Lo and the Queen Noor of Jordan. But Mrs. Obama’s column dress was his most high-profile creation. And she topped it off with silver and gold bangles on her wrists and chandelier earrings — worn in the style and spirit of India.

Singh appreciated the preparations: “In India some of life’s most precious moments are often celebrated under the cover of a beautiful tent,” he told the crowd. “It’s a little like tonight. We have incredible food, the music, and are surrounded by great friends. It’s been said that the most beautiful thing in the universe are the starry heavens above us and the feeling of duty within us. Mr. Prime Minister today we worked to fulfill our duty to bring our countries closer together than ever before.”

Obama also had kind words to say about his colleague. He explained that he and Singh have a common bond; They rose to leadership after historic movements for civil rights. “It’s the bond of friendship between a president and a prime minister who are bound by the same unshakeable spirit of possibility and brotherhood that transformed both our nations, the spirit that gave rise to movements led by Gandhi and King and which are the reason that both of us can stand here tonight.”

And then, of course, it was Jennifer Hudson’s turn to sing. So everyone stopped talking.