Madame Tussauds Set to Open to Public on Dec. 1 in New Delhi

By Little India Desk | November 29, 2017

The Madame Tussauds experience will soon be available in India as the wax museum will open its doors to visitors in New Delhi on Dec.1. The museum, which is present in 22 countries, will feature a plethora of icons from films, music, sports, politics and history at its India branch.

The museum is located at the heart of the national capital at the Regal Cinema complex in Connaught Place. “We decided to set it up in New Delhi after looking at the positive response that the wax statues of Indian stars kept at Madame Tussauds in London and Singapore receive. What was important for us was the right location,” Marcel Kloos, director, new openings Europe and emerging markets, Merlin Entertainments, the owner of the Madame Tussauds brand, said, Gulf News reported.

The 11 Indian personalities displayed at Madame Tussauds in London have garnered a lot of attention from the country’s tourists over the years — especially since the unveiling of Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan’s wax statue in 2000. The museum was also featured in Shah Rukh Khan’s film Fan.

“Considering the heritage of India, the largest financial and commercial business center, Connaught Place, in the heart of the city, is the perfect location for us,” Anshul Jain, the general manager and director of Merlin Entertainment, said, according to the report. He added: “Every single attraction of Madame Tussauds is a special edition and differs in displays and planning. Just as London, Hollywood and Shanghai museums are different from one another, similarly, Delhi will provide as unique and holistic experience like no other.”

The museum has already unveiled wax statues of Amitabh Bachchan, Lady Gaga, Madame Tussauds’ founder Marie Tussaud, Kapil Dev, Milkha Singh, Madhubala, Asha Bhosle, and other national international stars that will be housed in Delhi. The museum will have 50 statues, 30 of which will be of Indian personalities from various fields.

#Tussauds' artists have brought ‘Anarkali’ to life, by detailing the wax figure of #MadhubalaAtTussaudsDelhi with traditional jewellery. pic.twitter.com/NIvU7ZvuOs

— Madame Tussauds (@tussaudsdelhi) August 8, 2017

All the wax models are made in London and shipped to the branches in different countries. Each statue takes around four months to be completed and costs about £1.5 million .

50 personalities.
4 sections.
1 attraction.@tussaudsdelhi will be bringing four fascinating worlds under one roof, with its sections of Cinema, Sports, History & World Leaders and Music. Are you excited to walk through them all at #TussaudsDelhi? pic.twitter.com/ZRcFLTnHsh

— Madame Tussauds (@tussaudsdelhi) November 16, 2017

The museum in New Delhi will allow visitors to touch the statues and click pictures. However, Kloos says that there will be a well trained team to ensure that the quality of statues does not get compromised.

Steve Mansfield, the principal sculptor at Madame Tussauds, spoke to the publication about his experience of working to create Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s wax model: “ I am honored to have worked with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He was extremely concerted in his efforts and gave us a total of 250 measurements in one sitting. He even sat through the entire process while we noted his posture, continuously encouraging us and showing enthusiasm about the exercise.”