CHENNAI : Magic has never failed to entertain. As children, we’ve all uttered the words ‘Abracadabra’ while waving a magic wand in hand, hoping to see something magical happen. We’ve clamoured to watch magic shows, analysing how it is possible to cut a person into half, without shedding even a single drop of blood, or how the rabbit came out of a seemingly empty hat, how did the nicely dressed woman float in thin air? Now we know, it was all a clever illusion, a distortion of the senses. When done with perfection and ease, it makes the spectators’ eyes go wide in disbelief. And therein lies a magician’s talent.
Becoming a magician is no easy feat. There’s more to it than the wand-waving, long hats and shiny black blazers. “Many of the magicians today were once curious kids who were intrigued by a magic show they witnessed, and were curious to explore it further. I am also one such magician. But back then, there weren’t many opportunities of interacting with the magician, so we would turn to books and try to learn the tricks and then improve,” says Minnal Raja, a professional magician for the last 20 years.
A few years ago, magic shows in the city used to be a common occurrence, with colourful advertisements popping up on walls and newspapers. But today, these colourful flyers seem to have dwindled in numbers. “The demand for magic shows in the city has definitely reduced. You can spot some magicians at kid’s birthday parties, but the numbers have largely gone down. However, there seems to be more demand in rural areas where people enjoy it a lot,” says Minnal Raja.
Rakki D Dheena on the other hand, who has been performing magic for the last two years, says that the demand for a magician depends on his ability to stand out. “Yes, there are many magicians out there today, so you need to do different tricks to get booked for a show. There are event organisers as well, who assist in getting shows,” he says. Rakki includes references to films, plays the right kind of background music or dialogues related to the magic trick and has several other tricks up his sleeves to keep the audience hooked. “ I try to make the show look and feel more lively,” he says.
From corporate shows to kids birthdays, wedding receptions, NGO events and ticketed solos, the categories of shows are many. However magicians say the most common are the birthday parties. “Kids enjoy magic the most, and birthday parties are one such occasion when children come together under one roof,” says Karthikeyan, another city-based magician.
Kavitha, popularly known as Magician Kavi, is one of the few female magicians in the city. She has done over 200 plus shows in the last three years alone. She has dazzled audiences in Karaikudi, Coimbatore, Kumbakonam, Pondicherry, Chennai, etc. Her biggest challenge is managing time between shows and family. “I do magic because of my passion for it, and to support my family. Most of the time I am travelling to do shows, and even when I am at home, I will keep practising. But my family never complains,” she says.
Passion alone, however, is not enough to sustain livelihoods. Magicians are discovering that it is hard to keep it alive as a profession. “The payment depends on the kind of show we do and also the number of tricks we perform. If we are doing a corporate show, we would get paid a bit more, whereas if we are doing it for an NGO, it is for a cause so we don’t take money. However, it usually starts from anywhere between `2,500 - `3,500 and can go up to `10,000 - 15,000, also depending on the seniority as well” explains Karthik, popularly known as DCMO Karthik. But despite the dwindling audiences and paychecks, magicians in the city seem to have not lost steam, and say it is a rewarding experience when the curtains finally fall, and the audience is on their feet, hands clapping.
THE TRICKS UP THEIR SLEEVES
Magic tricks usually fall under different categories such as vanish, producing, transforming and levitation, among others. Most magicians debut with tricks under the first two categories such as the rabbit trick, coins, rope, cloth tricks, etc. Senior magicians perform the more challenging levitation, cutting body parts, escaping tricks, etc. “My speciality is card magic. It might sound cliché and typically easy, but card magic is actually a big branch of magic. You can do wonders with cards— appear, disappear, tear, levitate, read minds and so on. It involves a lot of deep and complex emotions,” says Kalaiarasan, a magician for 10 years.