Moin Akhtar’s family says no to Tussauds?

The famed wax museum is reported to want to display a statue of the actor.

While it has been reported that Madame Tussauds museum wants to house a wax statue of legendary Pakistani actor Moin Akhtar as part of its collection, other news agencies have termed these reports as false, saying that the museum never contacted the actor’s family in this regard.

Akhtar, who devoted 44 years of his life to entertaining audiences and promoting arts in Pakistan, was one of the most beloved comics and actors ever to grace the stage and television screens in the country and passed away at the age of 60 this year. According to news reports, the museum has taken note of his contribution and contacted his family to communicate their interest to include his statue at Madame Tussauds.

Mansoor Akhtar, son of the late actor, confirmed to The Express Tribune that while he did receive a call from an international organisation asking his permission, he was not sure if it was authentic or not. Nevertheless, he declined the offer stating that he does not approve of it. “While I am not sure if the call was genuine, I was overwhelmed when I received it as it is a huge honour as the museum houses wax figures of many of the world most renowned celebrities. However, making statues is forbidden in Islam so I rejected the offer due to religious reasons.”

The renowned museum houses wax statues of historical and royal figures, politicians, film and TV celebrities and sports stars.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 14^th, 2011.