LIFE HAS COME FULL CIRCLE FOR DEEPIKA

Deepika Padukone recalls visiting Madame Tussauds London as a kid and standing next to wax statues of people, who had ‘influenced her life in some way or the other’

She has received a number of national as well as global honours, but in the latest instance, Deepika Padukone has become part of a special group of people, who boast of having their wax statue at Madame Tussauds London, UK. Interestingly, the wax museum has a direct connect with her childhood.

“Actually, the only time she visited Madame Tussauds was as a kid with her parents (former badminton star Prakash Padukone and mother Ujjala Padukone). Back then, too, the actor had visited the London branch. It goes without saying that a young Deepika was very excited then, and that memory always stayed with her,” says an insider, close to her.

Interestingly, Deepika is now set to have her own wax replica at the same museum. “Madame Tussauds London is known as one of the most iconic and popular places in the world. So, when I got a call from the team to have my wax figure put up, I was really overwhelmed,” Deepika tells us.

The Bajirao Mastani (2015) actor admits that “life has come full circle today”. She says, “I had visited London for the first time with my parents. I was a little girl then and like most tourists, we also stood in a queue and bought tickets to [visit] the museum. I clearly remember standing next to [wax statues of] people, who had influenced my life in some way or the other. My parents are extremely proud and at this moment all I am feeling is gratitude and excitement.”

The year 2018 has already turned out to be fantastic for the actor, who tasted huge success with Padmaavat (in which she played the title role) that made over ₹300 crore at the box office. Later, Deepika was also featured in the prestigious TIME 100 Influential People of 2018 List followed by being a part of Variety’s International Women’s Impact Report 2018.

Talking of Madame Tussauds, Deepika’s wax figure will be placed alongside statues of global A-listers such as Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Helen Mirren, among others. Apparently, she is the first Bollywood star whose lifesize replica has made it to that special section, as statues of other Hindi film stars have been kept in a separate Bollywood enclosure. “It’s a huge honour and achievement for her. But Deepika, on her part, believes that whoever makes it to Madame Tussauds is an achiever in some way or other, and that being a part of that legacy is exciting,” says the insider.

Deepika giving her measurements for the wax statue