KOCHI: With anecdotes from friends and admirers, ‘Suvarna Vismayam’ offers a glimpse into the magical, five-decades-long career of one of Kerala’s renowned illusionists - R K Malayath. The book opens with a heartwarming note by acclaimed writer Vaikom Muhammad Basheer. The two had shared an unlikely connection when they worked on a show together, highlighting the social flaws of their time.
Travelling on a chariot between villages, the show, which Basheer directed, used magic to disseminate the message against intolerance far and wide. In his note, borrowed from the introduction he wrote for ‘The Complete Works of Dr A T Kovoor’, Basheer hails Malayath as a professor. “That’s how the famous star should be known from now on,” his note reads.
Like Basheer, magic is something that fascinates everyone around the globe. It generates awe, curiosity and even wonder - whatever your age. It is no wonder that the book is filled with accounts of luminaries from all fields - Dr Punathil Kunjabdulla, Kakkanadan, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Mohanlal, P T Usha, and fellow magician Gopinath Muthukadu.
In a conversation with TNIE, the 73-year-old Malayath describes magic as “another form of art”. He elaborated on the string of incidents that saw him wade into the wonderful world of magic. “I have always been a curious child. When I was about 14 years old, a wandering magician came to our town. He took a small pebble from the road and turned it into a kingfisher bird,” Malayath recalls. Instantly hooked, the young Malayath wanted to learn the secret behind the trick.
“I stayed back long after all the crowd had left. On seeing me, the magician asked me what I wanted. I told him, ‘I want to learn how he did it’.” However, what transpired after was very sobering for the young Malayath. In offering to teach magic, the man tricked him of Rs 2. While most would have become disheartened by the incident, but not Malayath. He realised that magic is not some divine power but an alchemy of art and science.
But the event that set him on to become one of Kerala’s best magicians came some years later. “It was a failed magic show organised by my friends and me. One from our gang said he knew how to perform magic. So during a local temple festival, we set up a show. However, he failed spectacularly,” Malayath recalls.
Luckily for him, Prof K M Ali Khan, a famous magician at the time, was in the audience. He approached the lads and showed them how it was done. Malayath was intrigued. Within days, he found the professor’s address and approached him to be his student. For three years, he learned under Khan and Khan’s guru, the patriarch of magic in Kerala, Prof Vazhakunnan Namboothiri.
Then came years and years of performing magic, charming and hypnotising people, and at the same time spreading awareness. At 21, Malayath started performing alone in Kozhikode and soon made a name in the cultural scene. However, what makes Malayth stand out is his feats in hypnotism and how he has helped various causes throughout his career.
“Though every magician will tell you they know hypnotism, trust me, only a handful knows it. I am grateful that I could learn it,” Malayath says. He learned hypnotism from the famous rationalist and professor A T Kovoor. The duo performed on multiple stages, busting myths of many godmen.
“Kovoor once proclaimed a public challenge that if anyone can figure out how he performs his tricks, he will pay them Rs 1 lakh. The challenge still stands,” Malayath recalls. Now, Malayath uses his skills in both magic and hypnotism to inspire children. “I hold workshops at schools and every weekend at my office for students against addiction and also nurturing a strong will,” he explains.
Modernising magic
Malayath credits his college education and innate curiosity for his revolutionary feats in magic. “In India, there was a publication on magic that came from Kolkata, the hub of Indian magicians then. All the new equipment came from there. As I knew how to read English, thanks to my higher education, I subscribed to the magazine and bought new products. That’s why I was able to perform new tricks, import new ideas, and create new acts regularly,” says the magician.
Family of magicians
Malayath’s wife, Nirmala, is also a magician. “After we got married, she too expressed a desire to learn magic. Later, we started performing together,” says Malayath. “Nirmala also started an all-women magic troupe once. It was probably the first such in the country,” he adds. In 2018, when Malayath announced his retirement at a public function, he passed on his legacy to his son. “Now he is working in the US, performing magic. Unlike me, he gets a monthly salary for his art,” the proud father says.
‘Mohanlal was my student’
“Mohanlal was once my student,” recalls Malayath. “For the film Manthrikam, he needed to learn some magic tricks. So the director approached me to teach him. For a couple of months, I taught the actor the skills. After the movie’s success, we even organised a magic show in Dubai,” he adds.