Hiren Kotwani (DNA; May 15, 2019)

For quite some time now, speculations have been rife that former Miss World Manushi Chhillar is gearing up for her Bollywood debut. According to trade buzz, she had landed a plum project and was being groomed for her big break. However, contrary to popular perception, it isn’t opposite Ranveer Singh.

Now, we have learnt that the erstwhile beauty queen will foray into Bollywood as Akshay Kumar’s leading lady in a Yash Raj Films production. Apparently, Manushi will play Sanyukta to AK’s Prithiviraj Chauhan in the mega-budget extravaganza, which will be helmed by Chandraprakash Dwivedi. According to a source, “Everything is being kept hush-hush for now and the announcement will be made at the right time. Presently, Manushi is undergoing all the necessary training for her debut.”

Interestingly, the leggy lass was offered the Hindi remake of the Telugu hit RX 100 opposite Suniel Shetty’s son Ahan, which is the latter’s launch pad. “However, Manushi felt that venturing into Bollywood with another newcomer would be too much of a pressure. She felt making her debut opposite an established star would be a better bet,” adds our source.

We contacted YRF, but the studio’s representative declined to comment.