A different ball of wax, always

Ashima S Batish

Once upon a time, the popular way to announce your arrival on a holiday abroad was to get clicked with Madonna, Shah Rukh Khan, Michael Jackson, Amitabh Bachchan.… Strike ample poses, a peck on the cheek, a hand around the waist, a lean on the shoulder. While celebrities treated their fans differently, you could treat all celebs alike. Madame Tussauds, wherever it was, promised fans some moments in the world of the glitterati. But it was equally important to celebrities as well. A figure in the museum was a like a stamp of global stardom. It still is the same!

This year, the museum comes to New Delhi and will put on display statues of people who matter, be it Indian or international. Stephen Mansfield, Principal Sculpture, Merlin Magic Making and Anshul Jain, General Manager & Director, Merlin Entertainments, India, talk about the initiative and how they are preparing for it.

Stephen Mansfield

Wax sculpting is a very tedious process. Can you share with us what all goes behind sculpting one — in terms of manpower, effort and hours?

Stephen Mansfield: Creating a wax figure is a delicate and meticulous process. It takes about four months and 20 artists to complete one statue. But this can vary depending on the complexity of work. We have a large team of extremely talented and creative artists at the studio, who work on a number of figures at any given point. The team comprises sculptors, moulders, wax-finishers, hair and make-up artists, stylists, costume designers, and photographers. In addition, we are a large team of experts constantly working behind the scenes, and this team includes production managers, organisers, research teams and managers who look after the daily operations of our studios, which are run in a seamless and smooth manner.

The first part of the process is the sculpting. The clay is built up over a metal armature. Two sculptors work simultaneously on body and head. When the sculpture is complete, the head is moulded in plaster and cast in wax. The body is produced in fiberglass.

The next part of the process involves colouring and hair insertion. The eyes are created from acrylic, with silk threads accurately representing veining of the eyes and the iris is hand painted to match the subject’s own. The hair is inserted by hand, after which it is washed and cut to match the celebrity’s hair-do, it is then styled to finish. The figure is painted using layers of oil-based paints to match the skin tone.

What minute details are taken into account of a personality while sculpting a wax statue?

The art of creating a wax figure is very special for an artist and takes up an immense amount of time. The first step is to meet the celebrity for a sitting. We have an expert team of artists who travel all over the world to carry these out. This involves taking hundreds of measurements and photographs and recording details such as eye colour and hair texture. Once we have the detailed information, we can begin the process of sculpting back at the studio.

How do you lend colour to the statues — clothes and hair?

The figures are coloured by hand with oil paints. We take a colour palette — and sometimes a color scan — at the sitting with the personality, to accurately record skin tone. The hair, which is ethically sourced, is inserted strand by strand and then cut and styled according to the brief. Usually, the clothes are generously donated by the subject, although when this isn’t the case we match the style of the outfits exactly.

Anshul Jain

What makes Madame Tussauds come to India? And how special is it to have its presence in the country where it already has a huge following?

Anshul Jain: Since our first Bollywood figure of Amitabh Bachchan, which was created and displayed in 2000, the popularity and demand for a Madame Tussauds experience has grown among Indians. It was quite evident that we would come to India. And we are delighted to be launching Madame Tussauds in Delhi in 2017.

Which celebrities feature in your first list to be waxed and displayed in India? And how do you decide on who deserves a sculpture?

The Delhi edition will have a mixed bag of Indian and international celebrities from various walks of life — politicians, world leaders, sports personalities, musicians, actors from films and TV — all of whom will be displayed in themed presentations. This will create an immersive experience for guests when they step into our world of renowned personalities. Also, this will bring them closer to their most loved celebrity, who has in many ways impacted their lives and the Indian landscape. Statues of icons like Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Shah Rukh Khan, Sachin Tendulkar, Amitabh Bachchan among others will be displayed here.

Based on opinion polls, intrinsic monitoring and extensive research, our displays for Madame Tussauds Delhi have been planned in advance as per visitor preferences. Madame Tussauds’ displays of celebrities are informed by in-depth research of Indian tastes and preferences. Our teams have put together a fantastic display of celebrities who have a mix of local and international presence world over.

This will be the museum’s 23rd edition. Won’t so many editions affect the exclusivity of the museum that the brand is known for?

Every single attraction of Madame Tussauds is a special edition and differs in displays and planning, such as the London experience which is completely different from our Hollywood and Shanghai Madame Tussauds attractions. Similarly, Delhi will be a unique and holistic experience like no other.