Madame Tussauds has showcased waxworks of Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan alongside Lady Gaga and Marie Tussaud to generate buzz ahead of their entry into celebrity-mad New Delhi later this year.
Bachchan, 74, is one of Indian cinema’s most revered and influential actors and has been a mainstay on screens for five decades.
The wax statues were unveiled by Merlin Entertainments, the operator of the iconic entertainment attraction.
“It is a very exciting day for us and Merlin Entertainments. We just announced the opening of Madame Tussauds in Delhi and Madame Tussauds is an interactive experience where you meet life-like waxfigures of all the big names – leaders in sports but also in music. And also, it is a diverse experience where we allow our visitors to come closer to the celebrities than ever,” Marcel Kloos, Merlin Entertainments’ director of new openings in emerging markets said as guests photographed themselves alongside Bachchan and a waxwork of American popstar Lady Gaga.
Besides Bachchan, the Delhi branch would house wax figures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar among many others.
Each masterpiece takes around four months and a team of 20 artists to create. More than 250 precise body measurements are referenced, real hair are inserted and innumerable layers of paints are applied to build up the skin tones.
Kloovs said the favourable response from Indians across Madam Tussauds’ other editions had prompted the one in Delhi.
“We looked at the culture and of course, we have a lot of Indian visitors in our existing attractions as well. Their feedback is so positive especially also on the Indian figures that we said we need to be there, we need to bring it to the whole country, we need to bring this unique experience to India and therefore our next focus was Delhi,” added Kloos.
The Delhi branch above the city centre’s historic Regal Cinema is India’s first, the museum’s twenty-third globally and its ninth in Asia, where a growing middle class are prepared to pay to see wax figures of their favourite stars.
The museum is set to open in June.
“The young generation is coming up with a selfie generation, with people, being online, used to technologies. We give them what they want. So, we give you a reason to have a great twitter tweet or post your picture with a global star on Facebook. So, that is what this combination makes it. I am pretty sure that it will be a success,” Kloos further added.
Indian celebrities like Bollywood actress, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, superstar Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Salman Khan, are some of the names who already have their statues in different branches of Madame Tussauds across the world.
Madame Tussauds was founded in the year 1835 by Marie Tussauds in London. From early works of Marie, Madame Tussauds created an international phenomenon that still remains a famous attraction for millions of visitors every year.
Operating more than 250 years, Madame Tussauds has now 23 flagship sites present across the world. Each museum offers a blend of local and international experiences filled with exciting and interactive zones.
The wax statues enable visitors to walk down the red carpet and pose with their favorite national and international celebrities.
