Salman unveils his statue at Madame Tussauds

London : Bollywood actor Salman Khan joined the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai at Madame Tussauds here, when the superstar specially flew in to unveil his wax replica.

In a public poll conducted late last year, Khan beat nine other Indian mega stars, including Madhuri Dixit, Hrithik Roshan, Rani Mukherji, Karan Johar, Kajol, Lata Mangeshkar, Abhishek Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra and John Abraham, to find his place in the historic museum.

His statue, wearing a body hugging black T-shirt and black jeans given by Harley Davidson, is the first Bollywood star to be casually attired. While Amitabh Bachchan's is in a traditional Indian outfit, Shahrukh Khan's is in his signature black suit and Aishwarya's is in a red sari.

Salman said yesterday at the unveiling ceremony, "Very few Indians have the privilege and it feels good to be a part of it. We have Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya, Shah Rukh and I think I am one of the most deserving in the museum." Nicky Hobbs of Madame Tussauds said, "We received over 10,000 votes in the poll from fans and visitors, and were thrilled that Salman Khan came out top.

"The Asian market is critical to our attraction and our association with Bollywood has seen a dramatic increase in the number of domestic and overseas Asians visiting and enjoying the museum. We hope to build upon this exciting relationship with the unveiling of Salman's statue."