NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will soon join the ranks of prominent world leaders and celebrities at Madame Tussauds, the famous wax museum at London.
The wax statue of Modi, expected to be unveiled in April, will be dressed in his signature kurta, in cream, with a jacket and will feature him making a namaste.
“Madame Tussauds has crafted figures of very distinguished dignitaries from around the world — how could I regard myself worthy of being alongside them? But when I was informed that your decision had emanated from public opinion and public sentiment, I was comforted,” Modi said, in a statement to the museum.
Describing him as a “hugely important figure in world politics”, the museum said the Indian PM had given its team of artists and experts a sitting at his residence in New Delhi earlier this year.
“During my sitting, I observed the team carefully and was deeply impressed by its dedication, professionalism and skill. I have visited Madame Tussauds three or four times and had the pleasure of getting myself photographed standing next to the figures of various dignitaries,” Modi said.
The wax statue is expected to be unveiled in London and other centres of the museum around late April. However, there is no confirmation on whether Modi would personally unveil his wax statue.
Each figure takes a team of Madame Tussauds’ artists four months and costs around GBP 150,000 to create.
A new branch of Madame Tussauds is also set to open in New Delhi as part of the India-UK Year of Culture in 2017, announced during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the UK last November.