Tricks up his sleeve

For Neel Madhav, hosting a TV show at the age of 23 is a big responsibility. “Although, the silver lining is that I get to travel all around the country, meet people from different backgrounds and share the magic of my magic with them,” he says.

Neel is a self taught magician who started learning about the art through YouTube videos. It was when he was on a trip to Boston around 6 years ago that his interest elevated. “I had always thought magic was interesting. However, on a trip to America when I met Jason Randall, is when I started considering it seriously. One thing led to another and now I am doing a TV show and have also authored a book on magic.”

Neel, who is a new-age illusionist and combines science with magic, has his qualms regarding India’s traditional magic. “When one thinks of a magician, they almost always think of a birthday party magician who does card and hat tricks for children. This is the case only in India. Internationally, magic is a lot more than pulling rabbits out of a hat or sawing girls in half — it is about illusions and using grey matter. For centuries, magic in the country has been about snake charmers. We need to change that. Everything needs to be updated, to be developed — no one likes seeing the old. Abroad, magic is a billion dollar industry. It has been over five long decades since the extremely popular P.C Sorkar passed away; and with him the evolution of Indian magic did too,” Neel complains.

The 23-year-old illusionist incorporates sciences in his tricks. By combining magic with mentalism, neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and criminology, Neel performs more than mere tricks — he gets into the minds of his audiences. “I have studied criminology. In the simplest of terms, this allows me to be a human lie detector, therefore making it possible for me to read people,” he says.

So, how does reading people help Neel with his illusions “My show is essentially a travel and magic show. I travel around the country and meet people from so many different backgrounds — from Kanyakumari in the south to Rishikesh in the north, everyone has a unique mind; they are all same and different at the same time. Something that a Kerala man finds amusing won’t be the same with someone from Darjeeling. I try to come up with magic depending on my audience. This way, I please their minds,” he explains.

For the young illusionist, contemporary magic is non-existent in the country. “People don’t appreciate magic as an art; they approach it as an age-old trick session. It seems that even today, we are a land of snake charmers and rope tricks. There is a modern side to magic; it’s just that India as a whole hasn’t figured out how to do it. I want to do magic the justice it deserves,” he concludes.

You can watch Neel’s show You Got Magic on NDTV GoodTimes every Friday at 8.30 pm