Arts & Entertainment

Stars from East and West rub shoulders at Madame Tussaud’s in Dubai

Dubai, Oct 18 (EFE).- With Emirati weightlifter Amna Al Haddad sharing a room with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi or Lebanese singer Maya Diab welcoming visitors alongside American Lady Gaga and Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan, the new Madame Tussaud’s wax figure museum in Dubai unites the pop cultures of East and West.

At the celebrated London museum’s new franchise, its 25th and the first in the Arab world, visitors will find a selection of 60 hyper-realistic celebrities from the West, the Middle East and Indian cinema, which is just as popular as Hollywood among viewers in the Persian Gulf countries.

With a design based on artificial palm trees and a yellow hue emulating the desert sands of the Arabian Peninsula, the museum opened its doors this week on Blue Water Island, a dynamic neighborhood in cosmopolitan Dubai.

“We have tried to stay true to the region, the city and the design elements and themes that represent Dubai. Even the color tones are adapted to the city, to the culture,” says the museum’s general manager, Sanaz Kollsrud.

The museum’s replicas, 16 of which are of regional celebrities, are spread across the venue’s six sections: royalty and political leaders, fashion, media, sports, film and music, and include global players such as former US President Donald Trump, Queen Elizabeth II of England, and model Kylie Jenner, while in the film section the figures of Vin Diesel, Audrey Hepburn and Tom Cruise share the limelight with a constellation of Bollywood stars.

A team of 20 artists is behind each statue, the general manager adds.

Every day before the attraction opens, a maintenance team works to spruce up the figures. If necessary, some clothes are washed in the evening, and their hairstyles and makeup are finished with oil paint. EFE

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