Rub Shoulders With International Legends At Red Carpet Wax Museum | R City Mall Mumbai | Travel Tales

Having grown up reading about the wonders of Madame Tussauds in London & elsewhere, it had always been a cherished dream of mine to visit it and get a selfie clicked with the awesome life-like statues of global personalities there. The whole idea itself is so interesting. Celebrities from all walks of life, immortalized in wax, making them both dreamy as well as accessible to the masses. Kudos to the originator of this idea! But traveling abroad is not within everyone's reach. I know I have to wait quite some time before I can plan a dream vacation abroad. So does that mean my dream remains unfulfilled?

Absolutely not! This is where the good folks at R City Mall and the brains behind Red Carpet Wax Museum come to our rescue. Now we do not need to travel halfway across the world to appreciate global celebrities and legends in their waxed up avatars. Situated on 1st floor of South Wing at R City Mall, Ghatkopar West, Mumbai is Red Carpet Wax Museum, the brand new must-visit destination in Mumbai, something to charm kids and adults alike.

It took a good 5 years to bring this place to life and the results are stunning. From the grand entry that literally rolls out the red carpet for everyone, to the amazing staff that helps us get acquainted with our surroundings, to the true-to-life-effect of each statue and the innovative ambiance for us to get clicked at, it is an experience to savor. 

The entrance is akin to good old Golden Globes or Oscars, with blinding lights and array of photographers making us feel special, replete with a lovely welcoming lady (made of wax,ofcourse and vaguely resembling a young Hillary Swank) and a special Red Carpet Selfie Point. Thereafter comes the wave of global personalities from politics, philanthropy, religion, science, entertainment, sports, right from Mother Teresa, Anna Hazare, Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs to Harry Potter, Brad & Angelina, Lionel Messi, Saina Nehwal and John Cena! Whoa, that is some list indeed :D Each statue takes 4-6 months to complete and has been meticulously created by International craftsmen, no wonder it really looks like these can breathe and walk and talk at any moment!

It is not just the statues that take one's breath away. It is the little special touches that matter more :) First, every personality has its own dedicated little kiosk and accessories. So Barack Obama is standing behind a podium, just like a powerful politician making a speech while The Pope is standing in front of a 3-D church interiors wallpaper, Nelson Mandela is comfortable in a reading room and Steve Jobs seems to be unveiling the next big Apple product. It instantly makes us also feel a part of their lives :) 

Secondly, there are special accessories that we can use to pose and click photos with them. So put on a crown to stand right beside Queen Elizabeth or don a wizard's robe + hat and pose with Harry Potter. Albert Einstein looks on amusingly while we don special hats with bulbs on top while Michael Jackson screams happily while we pose with a guitar right by his side :D

And thirdly, there are hidden surprises, such as a sleeping watchman opposite Obama. It literally looks like a man has fallen asleep and it is only when we went near it that we realized it was a wax statue! There are 3-D paintings and more, suffice to say there is no reason for anybody to miss this fantastic place.

As Neil Armstrong famously said, 'One small step for man, one huge step for mankind', I believe this place also puts forward a small but significant step in providing something innovative + entertaining for us all. Each one of us have different favorites, so I am sure at the end of the tour everyone would feel like their personal hero should also get represented here (my sister reallllly wants SRK here, and to be honest, so do I :D) but ofcourse, it is not possible to include 1000 wax statues at one place! I find the selection here really well thought out and perfectly executed. Steve Jobs, Saina Nehwal, Albert Einstein were my personal favorites and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. Priced at Rs. 300 for weekdays and Rs. 400 for weekends (and there are discounts/offers too), it is oh-so-worth-it and here is to looking forward to flourishing times with the Red Carpet Wax Museum :)

Do check out their website! 

Photo Credits : Loud Frames Photography

Crash and Burn | Nissan Tsuru Mexico vs Nissan Versa USA

Common logic dictates that all things being equal, a competition between two participants should produce similar results. Now take this logic to the cars industry. Safety is one of the most important parameters when comparing cars. So it follows naturally that the cheapest car in one market should at least be equal to minimum safety requirements of cheapest car in another market. After all, human life has to be valued similarly everywhere, right?

Wrong.

Nissan, one of the most decorated car brands in the world, makes Versa in USA and Tsuru in Mexico, both being the least expensive sedan in their respective markets. But the safety parameters used in both are vastly different as proved in a recent shocking car-to-car test. This crashworthiness test has been conducted by Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and backed by Latin NCAP as well as Global NCAP as part of global #NoZeroStarCars campaign.

In the 50% overlap tap crash test, both vehicles can be seen travelling at 40 mph (64 km/h) before crashing. While Versa is equipped with front and side airbags in a modern structural design, Tsuru has absolutely nothing to protect itself. Result- Versa’s dummy driver is cushioned, its safety cage holds well, passenger compartment remains mostly untouched meaning that the driver can get out of this situation with cuts, bruises and maybe a dislocated shoulder. On the other hand, Tsuru's A-pillar is heavily deformed, practically the whole front passenger compartment is obliterated and the dummy driver’s body contorts in an impossible position showing exactly how a real driver would be dead in a matter of seconds in a similar situation.

Tsuru, a basic boxy car, started its life as Sentra in USA and picked up steam in Mexico through the 1990s and 2000s due to solid looks and low-cost investment plus maintenance, claiming majority stake in Mexico’s taxi fleet, even with a zero-star safety rating. However, over the years, it has been accused of having the highest fatality score among all the vehicles on Mexico’s roads, including more than 4000 deaths between 2007 and 2012. The crash test was conducted specifically to prove just how unsafe the very popular Tsuru is.

The hair-raising car-to-car test has brought into focus burning questions – should a company be allowed to go scot-free when they knowingly skip on essential security features just to produce cheaper cars? More importantly, the companies are taking advantage of different respect for safety parameters in different markets. In such a case, shouldn’t it be the duty of the government to step in and ensure safety of its citizens, by making it mandatory for every company to at least adhere to UN or equivalent standards for safety? After all, if a Versa costing $178 900 Mexican Pesos can adhere to robust security standards, what is stopping Tsuru costing $142 600 Mexican pesos from increasing its crashworthiness quotient?

At least one good thing has come out of this car-to-car test – Nissan has decided to cease the production of Tsuru model from March 2017. Bye-bye coffin on wheels!