FROM hot Bollywood star to hot comic book character.

The former Miss World (above) is now cast as a comic book hero as she appeals to Indian tweens and teen girls. --Pictures: AP, VIRGIN COMICS

Actress Priyanka Chopra is teaming up with Virgin Comics to create a new comic book superhero character.

The 26-year-old star is the first Bollywood actress to work with the company, which was founded by British entrepreneur and founder of Virgin, Sir Richard Branson, author and spiritual guru Deepak Chopra and film-maker Shekhar Kapur.

In a recent telephone interview with The New Paper from his New York office, Virgin Comics' CEO Mr Sharad Devarajan, 32, said the company was tapping into the global interest in Bollywood.

And it made sense to work with one of its stars.

Why Priyanka and not Aishwarya Rai, who has greater international appeal?

Mr Sharad said: 'It was like a mutual appreciation club between us and Priyanka.

'She was interested in animation and comics and for us, she represents a combination of beauty and brains.'

And the fact the former Miss World is increasingly becoming more popular around the world helped too.

Mr Sharad said Priyanka also appeals to Indian tweens and teen girls with her action films like Krrish with Hrithik Roshan.

It is a market that Virgin is keen to tap into as well.

The basic storyline for the English comic book has Priyanka's superhero character as a young modern woman who discovers that she is the latest in the line of princesses with great mystical power.

She then embarks on a sworn mission to fight evil.

In the initial concept drawings, the yet-unnamed character wears an Indian-inspired breast plate with a cape, strips of leather for leggings and carries a pair of snake-shaped weapons.

Details of the character's nemesis have not been revealed yet.

INDIAN BUFFY

It sounds like a cross between Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Indian mythology.

The New Paper tried to contact Priyanka for comment but her manager told us she was busy filming.

In the press statement from Virgin, she said: 'I love cartoons and animation. So being able to create my own original superhero with Virgin's amazing group of artists and storytellers is a dream come true that I hope will capture the imagination of a new generation of Indian youth.'

The story is similar in concept to Spiderman India that Mr Sharad and his partners created - under their previous company Gotham Entertainment - with Marvel Comics in 2004.

Mr Sharad said Priyanka is 'very involved' in creating her character and the content for the comic book with his team of artistes at their Bangalore-based studios.

'I can say that our guys in the studio are very happy when she comes by,' he said with a laugh.

The yet-untitled series is expected to launch next year in India and the US.

Mr Sharad said Virgin Comics is also looking to develop the story as a live action film and animation games.

Besides Priyanka, the company plans to work with Indian cricket star Sachin Tendulkar in a comic series called the Master Blaster, due to be launched in India early next year.

Virgin Comics currently has partnerships with directors like John Woo and Guy Ritchie to develop comic book content.

John, with producer Terence Chang and comic book writer Gareth Ennis, released the comic series Seven Brothers in the US last October.