Miss World 2017 Manushi Chhillar is set to make her Bollywood debut opposite superstar Akshay Kumar in Yash Raj Film's historical drama "Prithviraj".

The film, directed by Chandraprakash Dwivedi, is based on the life Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan.

Akshay will play the titular character, while Manushi will essay the role of Sanyogita.

"We auditioned a lot of young, fresh faces for the role because we were looking for a stunningly gorgeous Indian heroine. While Sanyogita was an incredibly beautiful person, she was also a strong, confident girl. We were looking to find someone who could match the magnetic persona of Sanyogita and we found that in Manushi.

"She auditioned for the role a couple of times because we wanted to be dead sure with this casting and she nailed it each time. She has been rehearsing six days a week since then and she is being thoroughly groomed for the last 9 months by YRF," Dwivedi said in a statement.

Manushi said it is an honour for her to work with some of the biggest names in the Hindi film industry and she will try her best to do justice to the part.

"My life, so far, has really been a fairy tale. From becoming Miss India and then Miss World to now getting such a big project as my debut film, it's like a new, exciting chapter of my life.

"It is a huge responsibility to play princess Sanyogita. She was a powerful personality and she stood up for what is right and took the most important decisions of her life by herself. Her life is an extremely important chapter in Indian history and I will try my best to play her as accurately as possible," Manushi said.

"Prithviraj" will release worldwide on Diwali 2020.