Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; February 19, 2020)

She may be a novice in front of the camera, but Miss World 2017 Manushi Chhillar had little trouble when performing her first dance number for her debut vehicle, Prithviraj. The actor, who has trained in Kuchipudi under legendary dancers Raja and Radha Reddy, reveals that her lessons in the classical dance form helped her perfect the moves.

"Initially, I was overwhelmed on seeing the scale of the song, but during my rehearsals, I started feeling confident. The old learning came back to me, and I was sure that I would be able to pull through. I was relieved that my director and choreographer were happy with my performance," says Chhillar, who plays Sanyogita in the Akshay Kumar-fronted period drama.

Thanking her gurus for building her solid foundation in dancing, she adds, "Their hard work is the reason I enjoyed doing the song in Prithviraj."