Akshay's brush with royalty costs him Rs 17 lakh

Akshay's wife (and his stylist on MasterChef India), Twinkle picks out a Rs 17-lakh sherwani for his meeting with royalty

For a special episode on MasterChef India shot at the Udaipur Palace with HRH Sriji Arvind Singh Mewar, Akshay Kumar wears an expensive sherwani specially handpicked by his wife Twinkle.

Says a source close to Akshay, "Twinkle picked out a unique, diamond-encrusted, pearl-studded, Abu Jaani creation worth Rs. 17 lakhs on hearing that her man would be received by the Maharana himself -- a rare honour.

Twinkle (who has styled Akki for some episodes of the show) was very excited and insisted on this special look for Akshay. She wanted him to look like a royal as well! She felt the sherwani looked majestic and perfectly suited for the occasion."

As a special task, the contestants have to cook up a royal treat for the king and his courtiers at the Udaipur palace. The source adds, "Sriji Arvind Mewar has never been known to welcome strangers in his palace and has even refused several shoot requests. But he made a surprising exception only for Akshay.

He not only allowed the shoot to take place but also welcomed a crew of 150-odd people and mediapersons into the palace. A part of the palace was opened for Masterchef India where the crew was given permission to move around freely."