THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Cheers rose from the crowd as ‘magician’ Mohanlal stepped on to the stage and waved, a top-hat perched smartly on his head. Next came a girl, with a black cape flaring behind her. She did a neat pirouette as Lal removed the cape and draped it on the ground. The girl lay on it. The ‘magician’ quickly wrapped the cape around the girl, and all that was visible was her head and her feet. Waving a small wand, Lal gestured upwards and the girl slowly started to rise. The crowd watched awestruck as, seconds later, the girl lay on thin air. Actor Mohanlal turned magician for the inauguration of Magic Planet, touted to be the world’s first ‘magic mansion’, a project of magician Gopinath Muthukad’s Academy of Magical Sciences at the KINFRA Film and Video Park at Kazhakoottam. CM Oommen Chandy and Opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan joined Ministers P K Kunhalikutty and K C Joseph, actor Mohanlal and Muthukad in cutting the ribbon and inaugurating ‘Magic Planet.’
“This will be an institution of great value to the state,” Chandy said. Muthukad said the proceeds from Magic Planet would be used for the welfare of street magicians in the country. Set on 1.5 acres, Magic Planet has, among other things, a museum, a mirror maze, an underground tunnel, a children’s park, a food court, theatres for live performances and an R&D centre. It has a space dedicated to street magicians. Magic Academy is organising Magic Planet-2014 - an int’l magic summit - at the Al Saj Convention Centre, Kazhakoottam, on Saturday and Sunday.