Zakir Hussain Khan, an Indian artist has set a new record by creating a handmade life-sized wax statue of Dubai’s Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum using 120kg of wax.
The World Records of India recognized this feat and awarded Zakir Hussain Khan, who used a single knife to carve the statue. This Artist is currently in Dubai with a dream to meet the Crown Prince and present the statue to him.
“I am a huge fan of Sheikh Hamdan and his work,” says Khan, he is currently on his third visit to Dubai with his family and friend Arif.
Zakir also says that “Sheikh Hamdan is an inspiration for youngsters around the world. He is a prince, yet he walks and cycles around the city like everyone else. He is so humble, so down to earth, and a visionary. He loves kids and animals. I think Dubai is so lucky to have him as Crown Prince.”
The artist hails from Bangalore a city in the south of India, Zakir mentions that he set out to make the statue in order to fulfill the dream of his eight-year-old son Ayan who has shared his father’s regard for Sheikh Hamdan for over two years by watching the YouTube videos along with him.
Ayan had expressed his dream to meet the Dubai Crown Prince, which made Zakir want to create such a gift for the prince which would make both of their dreams to meet the crown prince come true.
Zakir reveals that even at Madame Tussaud’s they use molds but he had carved every detail of the state which involved a lot of hard work. The carving began in December 2021 after he arrived in Dubai with his childhood friend Arif and worked with him tirelessly for 38 days to complete the wax statue that is 5’8” in height – just as tall as the Crown Prince himself.
This is not the first time that Zakir Khan has set a record. The artist has 14 previous records to his name, including one for the longest chopper bike. The 13-foot-long vehicle weighed 450kg and cost approximately Dh40,000 to make.
“Since the age of 14, I have been interested in art. I started with carving and painting, and when I grew a little older, I started tinkering with cars and bikes, making modifications on them,” says Zakir.
Other than wax statue carvings, he also dabbles in pencil sketching, coin painting, chalk piece carving, and miniature art. He has also created several other gifts for Sheikh Hamdan in the hope of meeting him someday.