"Baahubali" star Prabhas will be immortalised with a wax figure to be installed at Madame Tussauds' attraction in Bangkok in March 2017. According to S.S. Rajamouli, director of the magnum opus, he is the first south Indian actor to be honoured with a wax statue.
He will be the third Indian to get a wax statue at Madame Tussauds Bangkok, which already houses figures of Mahatma Gandhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. And his statue will be placed in the museum's Movie Room, side by side with other iconic characters such as Spiderman, Wolverine, James Bond and Captain America.
"Prabhas is definitely in the spotlight," commented Noppadon Prapimpunt, Head of Bangkok Cluster for Merlin Entertainments (Thailand), and General Manager of Madame Tussauds Bangkok.
"He is not merely all about his unique style and macho charm in his screen presence but also a superstar who fully lives up to his family legend of his father, Uppalapati Surya Narayana Raju who is a well known Tollywood (Telugu film) producer and his uncle Krishnam Raju, the famous Tollywood actor and politician," Prapimpunt added.
After "Baahubali: The Beginning", the creation of Prabhas's wax figure had been requested by his fans from around the world.
Prabhas underwent a sitting in Hyderabad with Madame Tussauds artists, where 350 photographs, and measurements were taken of the star to enable a flawless recreation of his likeness. He will be depicted as his character Amarendra Baahubali and will be seen in his battle armour at Madame Tussauds Bangkok.
During his sitting, Prabhas said: "I am really happy to have been selected by Madame Tussauds and this was only possible because of the fans. I am grateful for their unconditional love and support. I am also thankful to my guru, S.S. Rajamouli, for the opportunity to work on this fantastic project called 'Baahubali'."
Rajamouli is happy with the news.
"Very happy to announce that Madame Tussauds is making a wax statue of our Prabhas. First South Indian to be honoured thus. The statue will be unveiled at Bangkok in March 2017 and subsequently will be toured all over the world," he tweeted.
Actor Rana Daggubati also tweeted: "What joy and pride it brings me when the Brother the Baahubali Prabas has his very own statue at the Madame Tussads."