The bellhop at the gates inspected our invitations and showed us into the venue for the party. The garden looked completely transformed - dim lighting, in which we could barely see the stars. And stars we saw! Pierce Brosnan looked dashing in his suit, Reid & Taylor no doubt, while further along, we spotted the other Bond, Sir Sean Connery. Whoopi Goldberg was giving one of her classic smiles while Oprah Winfrey had the ear of that hunk, Mel Gibson. Samuel L Jackson, Nicholas Cage and Morgan Freeman were having a quite tete-a-tete in a corner, while Naomi Campbell, decked in a green spaghetti strapped dress, was having a drink with another gorgeous bloke. It looked like the Who's Who of Beverly Hills.

Only…it wasn't! It was, to be precise, the Garden Party room at the popular London landmark, Madame Tussauds. Though common sense told me that these are just wax images, it still felt like we were in a room full of celebrities. It being the Easter weekend, the place was bursting at the seams and we actually waited for over an hour to get inside! But the treasures waiting for us, inside, more than made up for it! Spread right in front of our eyes, were impossibly life-like images of some of the world's most celebrated people - super models, actors, sports personalities, you name them and there they were! We felt like school kids, when we dashed to the wax image of the Big B, in all his KBC finery, and posed for a photograph. To be fair to Britain, we took a picture with Chris Tarrant as well! (He is the presenter of the original, 'Who wants to be a millionaire?')

We then moved to the corridor where the sports greats were - Mohammad Ali, Jessie Owens, Ayrton Senna, Martina Hingis, Martina Navratilova, Nadia Komeneci, football superstar Pele as well as the British tennis #1 Tim Hinman. Our favourite was the one of Navratilova - sitting so casually, with her legs crossed over, she looked like she was just getting ready to play a round or two! Then we went in for a bit of a history lesson - with the wax facemasks, noses, ears and even small toes! We were shown how the wax images were actually crafted and how Madame Tussaud actually started the whole thing - from being a Royal tutor, she first made the death mask of Queen Mary.

The next room was filled with some of the most powerful people in the world - the world leaders. Right from the imposing Queen Elizabeth I to the American presidents, British Prime ministers, as well as other world leaders from every part of the world. India was represented by the Father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi, as well as former Prime ministers Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and P V Narasimha Rao. The Royal Family occupied the centre stage, with the Queen surrounded by the Queen Mother, Prince Charles, Princess Margaret, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and his wife, Sophie, the Countess of Wessex. Princess Diana stood by herself by the door and many a visitor thronged by her figure and took pictures of her and with her.

Till then, I had thought that the museum was what it said it was - a wax museum and that I would find just figures of the Beautiful People. But then, came the lovely surprise. We were next led into the Chamber of Horrors, which is actually deemed unsuitable for children below 5 or the faint hearted. The Chamber was a journey into the horror-filled years of the French Revolution, Victorian England and the 20th century serial killers. From the various methods of execution, from the garrote to the guillotine, to Joan of Arc, from Jack the Ripper to the other famous criminals who walked the streets of London, as well as the graphic images of the life of the unfortunate jailed innocents. The sights, sounds and the smells that assaulted our senses chilled our hearts and we shuddered to think of those who actually lived through these ghastly ordeals.

After the scenes of blood and gore, we went into the last "zone", which was the Spirit of London. This was a lovely presentation of the city of London - from the Elizabethan times to the London of today. In order to enjoy the sights, we sat on a special train, which had carriages made like the back seat of a London taxicab. The cab was fitted with audio equipment and we could choose the language of narration - English, French, German, Spanish and Italian. The ride began and to the accompaniment of pleasant music and great narration, we saw the rebuilding of St Paul's Cathedral, Queen Elizabeth I's reign, as well as other notable moments from the British history, right to the London of today, with all its glitz and glamour.

Madame Tussauds wax museum, today, is unarguably one of the most visited places in the world. What's more, a place in here essentially has come to mean that the authentic seal of stardom is well and truly stamped on you. Anybody who's anybody considers it an honour to have his image enshrined here. Almost all the stars come over personally for the unveiling of their wax twin and even lend their clothes, so the figure is authentic in all aspects.

Well, the next time you are anywhere near London, make it a point to drop in at this museum - and have your picture taken with the Big B. As the only other chance is getting on KBC, coming over to Madame Tussauds might definitely seem like a simpler option!

The museum is open on all days except Christmas day, from 9.30 a.m. till 5.30 p.m. Entrance fee is £12 for adults and £8 for children. Adjoining is the London Planetarium and the combined ticket for both costs £14.45 and £10.45 for adults and children, respectively.

Text and photographs - Lavanya