Salman (left) with the model at Madame Tussauds

London, Jan. 15: Salman Khan, who today unveiled his £200,000 waxwork model at Madame Tussauds in London, suggested that the next Bollywood star to be so immortalised should be Aamir Khan.

Salman, who joins Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan in the Bollywood corner in a new hall called Premiere Nights, was momentarily lost for dialogue when first confronted by his likeness.

“Hum Aapke Hain Kaun?” he might have thought.

Finally, the star of 55 movies since his 1988 debut observed that the nose on the model was “better”.

“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 the third most deserving in the museum,” Salman joked.

“I am really very touched that my fans have chosen me to appear in Madame Tussauds, and hope that the figure brings a lot of enjoyment to Bollywood followers the world over,” he added politely.

Sculptor Vicky Baker takes Salman’s measurements in Mumbai in 2007

The buck certainly stopped with a big Madame Tussauds team, which was responsible for ensuring the model was as close to the original as possible.

Sculptor Vicky Baker flew to Mumbai last year and took no fewer than 500 accurate measurements, especially of his chest and biceps. With her was photographer Andrew Shaylor who took shots of Salman’s body from every conceivable angle.

Half the measurements were of the face, which was carefully mapped, with measurements taken scientifically from a point just by the ear lobe known as the “Tragus”. One specialist matched the eyes, another was in charge of the colour of his body and a third ensured the hair was right.

In the long credit list, the following names ought to roll: creative director (Paul Williams), team leader (Alex Garnett), principal sculptor (Stephen Mansfield), sculptor (Jethro Crabb), moulding (Ramy Zaben, Abby Coxon), colouring (Amanda Clarke), hair (Steven Bottin), wardrobe (Vivian Kirby), research (Angela Vickers), and photography (Ian Taylor).

The clothes on the model were supplied by Salman himself.

Principal sculptor Stephen Mansfield, who sculpted Shah Rukh, supervised the Salman model while the hands-on construction was done by Jethro Crabb.

Mansfield told The Telegraph: “Salman fits in wonderfully with the three other Bollywood stars. I think Salman has extraordinary eyes, very intense. Of course, they are glass eyes in the model, but his expression is very smouldering.”

Asked about his biceps, Mansfield said: “He is obviously in good shape. Because the model is wearing a vest, we had to take rather more measurements than we would if it was wearing a jacket.”

With Salman today were an assortment of family members and friends, though there was no sign, at least at the unveiling, of girlfriend Katrina Kaif.

Salman was initially reluctant to be modelled by Madame Tussauds. But he was persuaded after he emerged the clear favourite among Bollywood fans.

Asked to pick the “Next Bollywood Star”, the poll produced the following ranking, indicating that Salman’s brush with the law in India has done him no harm, possibly quite the reverse: Salman Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Hrithik Roshan, Rani Mukerji, Karan Johar, Kajol, Lata Mangeshkar, Abhishek Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra and John Abraham.

Nicky Hobbs, head of external relations for Madame Tussauds, revealed: “We received over 10,000 votes in the poll from fans and visitors, and were thrilled that Salman Khan came out top. He was head and shoulders above everyone else. In fact, he won 3-1.”

The museum hopes the installation of the new statue will attract many more Asian visitors.

Ben Lovett, spokesperson for Madame Tussauds, said: “The Asian market is critical to our attraction and our association with Bollywood, particularly the launch of Shah Rukh Khan, has seen a dramatic increase in the number of Asians, from both the UK and abroad, visiting and enjoying Madame Tussauds. We hope to build upon this exciting relationship with the unveiling of Salman.”

There were hordes of screaming girls outside when Salman came and left in a black Phantom Drophead Coupé Rolls-Royce, complete with brushed steel bonnet. It was much more agreeable, he would have reckoned, than his court appearances in Jodhpur.