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The Shahrukh Experience

May 6 2008 | Views 1680 | Comments (61)

When I landed at the Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris, I was in throes of exciteme... Expand

When I landed at the Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris, I was in throes of excitement for I’d been invited for the unveiling of Shahrukh Khan’s wax replica in Museé Grévin.

With my knowledge of just two words in French – Merci and Bon Jour, finding my way through the streets of Paris to reach the much touted venue of Shahrukh Khan’s wax replica was not as difficult as I had imagined. Thanks to the efficient metro service, I was there in just under an hour.

The Red Carpet waiting for the star

The Museé Grévin turns out to be an interesting place with ornate décor. With its gilded interiors and pillars, it looked like a structure straight out of ancient French picture books.

It was in 1882 that a journalist called Arthur Meyer came up with the idea of creating life size, three dimensional replicas of the famous personalities. In the beginning it was people who made it to the headlines in a newspaper called ‘Le Gaulois’ but today it showcases wax statues of globally renowned personalities. Over 300 politicians, film stars, sports people, film makers, historical icons, rub shoulders in the house of wax. Shah Rukh has the honor of being the only Indian apart from Mahatma Gandhi to make it to Museé Grévin.

Despite the drizzle, an enormous crowd waited outside the museum for the arrival of the star and waving my invitation card I jostled through them to reach the door. The poor fans had been waiting since 8 am unaware that the star was expected only at 10 am.

It took me a lot of muscle power to find my way through the crowd, waving my invitation card at the policemen.

The fans waiting in the drizzle

All along the halls, real and wax people merged with each other confounding me. I even addressed one of the chefs who turned out to be made of wax. Charlie Chaplin, Marylin Monroe, a scene from Gone with the Wind, Arnold Schwachnegger, and Julia Roberts stood rooted in various parts of the museum alongside Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and Napoleon.

On one side stood tableaux of Napoleon’s entire family and on another the dramatic scenes from the 1789 French Revolution. The 450 figures of the Museum are arranged in about fifty scenes bringing to life the highlights of French history.

As I climbed up a marble staircase, I found myself in a hall called the Palais des Mirages (room of mirrors). It is a hexagonal room where special effects have been created with the lights and multiple reflections from the mirrors that go from floor to ceiling and completely surround a visitor transporting one to the world of illusions.

Hall of mirages

Barely had I finished a round of the museum when the arrival of King Khan was announced. It was time to attend the function in the theatre which in itself is an interesting one, with wax replicas hanging from balconies, standing amongst the crowd. What I thought was a woman waving from the balcony and waved back enthusiastically, turned out to be a wax statue.

There was an Indian dance to welcome Shahrukh Khan and his entourage. I was surprised to see Karan Johan, and Riteish Deshmukh tagging along with his wife and another friend. Songs from his movies had been blaring at us for a while and now it was the turn of dances. After that followed a couple of fans, French ones at that, who tried to pay homily to Shahrukh in broken Hindi.

A wax creation

The Indian ambassador, Mr.Ranjan Mathai, spoke a few words and so did the officials of the museum before relinquishing the space to the King Khan for a brief lecture. Amidst thunderous applause the statue was unveiled and lo behold, there were two Shahrukhs standing before us, clad in similar clothes – jeans and leather jacket, with long hair covering their eyes.

He was in his element as he regaled the audience with the story of his struggle, paid homage to his parents and declared that he would continue to amuse and entertain his fans as long as they wanted him to.

‘I’ll sing, dance, laugh and cry and take off my shirt as long as they want me to do so,’ he stated. Needless to say, he won every heart including my hardened one.

wooing the audience

Shahrukh was at his witty best and the fans were screaming with delight. The press was lapping up everything he said and cameras were clicking left, right and centre. All this was followed by a near stampede as everyone rushed for his autographs and wanted a picture with him. It was at this juncture that yours truly made an exit to the other hall for refreshments. It tired me, just watching the fans falling over each other.

Outside, the thousand strong crowd howled and demanded the star’s presence. They were chanting, ‘Khelbo, lorbo, jeetbo,’ the Kolkata Knight Rider slogan, singing songs from ‘Om Shanti Om’ and ‘Chak De’. There is no doubt that he is a charismatic actor; the presence of all those fans that wet morning was a confirmation of that fact. (btw I am not a Shahrukh fan - yet I succumbed to his charm)

It was an unforgettable experience on two counts – the museum with its wax replicas is a place that demands an encore and of course Shahrukh Khan’s presence made it doubly so.