Madame Tussauds mulls museum in Mumbai

Madame Tussauds, London's most famous tourist attraction known for its life-size waxworks, plans to open a branch in Mumbai, featuring replicas of Bollywood celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan and cricket stars like Sachin Tendulkar.

The plan to open a Mumbai office is part of a concerted push by Madame Tussauds' new owners - Dubai International Capital - to expand beyond the UK.

The waxwork attractions in Hong Kong and Shanghai are doing well, Robert Roger, finance director of Madame Tussauds.

"These overseas sites are thriving thanks to extensive research into the quirks of local celebrity culture. In Shanghai, for instance, the most popular female waxwork is not Kylie Minogue nor a Chinese pop star but Audrey Hepburn.

The company has already ascertained that Mumbai is an attractive market: it has a big enough population, combined with an obsession with celebrities.

The company, according to its spokesman, has completed its 95 million pounds acquisition of the London Eye from co-investors British Airways.