CHENNAI: Hypnosis, psychic connections and illusions. Clearly most of us did not know what to expect at the Mind Magic Mystery show performed by renowned mentalist Allan Louie. It’s common for many to imagine a magician as someone who pulls a rabbit out of his hat or an endless piece of silk cloth up his sleeves. But, what we experienced was a mixed bag of mind reading, muscle memory and card tricks at the recent event in Savera Hotel put together by Elegans International. This was Allan’s debut performance in the city.
Born in Tuticorin and currently based in Bengaluru, Allan is a self-taught international mentalist and illusionist who has been performing this craft for 15 years. He completed his Bachelors degree in Tech, Design and Animation. He worked as an animator for two years. Mentalism was a part-time job for him until he came across an opportunity to perform at restaurants and cruise lines for international audience in the US.
“I was watching the British mentalist and illusionist Derren Brown’s shows on television when I was 13 years old. Over the screen he was able to reveal the card suit I had in my mind. That enthralled me and inspired me to start exploring several new tricks. Most of my day goes delving into the deepest mysteries. I want to bring such elements to India and showcase them to larger audience. The experience prepares you for tailoring different concepts for different set of audience,” said Allan, dressed in a tuxedo.
Allan loves reading books on psychology and occult sciences. The power of human mind fascinates him. An introvert, Allan uses magic as an ice-breaking tool to strike a conversation with the audience. However, he feels that people abroad are more exposed to this kind of entertainment and appreciate it better, unlike Indians who are apprehensive. “Westerners tend to think that my tricks have some yogic connect since I’m an Indian. During my initial days people in our country mistook me for an astrologer and would show their palm to me to predict their future. I’ve surpassed those challenges and I’m grateful that I don’t have a boring job and every day is a new experience. There are days when I’m hell bent on finding out answers for unsolved mysteries. Losing your cool is not an option,” said Allan, who meditates before every show to maintain his calm.
Allan and his friend conduct a workshop called street magic. People are taught to perform simple tricks and taken to malls to interact with the audience. “Mentalism boils down to dedication. I’ve seen over a lakh audience. The first trick of mine was to throw cards into the audience and it had to land in their pockets. I was nervous. I’ve performed for colleges, corporate shows and magic on streets. In shows, I improvise based on the energy and vibes of people.Hypnosis-relatedtricks are the toughest. I ensure that the audience don’t feel like anything went wrong even when there are goof ups,” said Allan.
The mentalist wants to experiment with the concept of morphogenetics or collective ego. Given the situation, collective minds think of the same thing and it has an influence on the rest of the people. “Performing on a round table with people around you gives the greatest thrill. People get to see you upfront. Of course, there are quite a few mentalists in the country. Magic, mentalism or illusion are different styles that an individual specialises in. I love things to do with creating mystery and strong emotions,” he said.