By Shilpa Jamkhandikar

MUMBAI (Reuters) - "Celebrity Big Brother" star Jade Goody will take part in India's version of the British reality series, media reports said ahead of the show's launch on Sunday.

"Bigg Boss" is being hosted by Goody's TV adversary on last year's "Celebrity Big Brother" -- Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty.

Goody, 27, was at the centre of a racism row on "Celebrity Big Brother," won by Shetty after allegations she had been racially abused by Goody and other housemates.

Although Goody's participation in "Bigg Boss" has not been publicly announced, a source involved with the program said Goody has been roped in because of her "rich history" with Shetty on the British show.

"There has been a curiosity factor about Jade Goody ever since her rivalry with Shilpa Shetty in UK last year, and we thought she would make a good participant," the source told Reuters.

Goody arrived in India on Friday morning but "Colors" channel spokesperson Sonia Huria declined to comment on whether she will take part in "Bigg Boss," which starts airing in India this Sunday.

"Bigg Boss" follows the international format and features 14 contestants closeted in a specially designed house for three months under 24-hour surveillance, with no access to telephones or television. Each week, one will be voted out.

The show will air in a prime-time slot on the "Colors" channel seven days a week but Shetty will appear only in the elimination episodes each Friday, communicating with the contestants through a TV screen.

Goody's treatment of Shetty on "Celebrity Big Brother" last year generated thousands of complaints, dominated headlines and prompted a sponsor of the show to pull out.

Shetty was called a "dog" on the show and some housemates refused to learn her name, referring to her as "the Indian" and "Poppadom," but Shetty played down the allegations that she had been the victim of racial abuse.

Goody later apologized, saying she never meant to be racist.

(Writing by Tony Tharakan)

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