Magic up his sleeve

Sorcar Jr’s daughter Maneka will perform alongside him,a combination they fondly label “jugalbandi”. “It’s like the two of us are competing with each other,” says Maneka. With about 75 on-and-off stage artistes,multiple settings,jadoo girls,laser lights,music and more than 50 acts of illusion,Indrajal’s scale is what the duo is slightly worried about. “Given FICCI’s small stage,we have to modify the acts,but we assure you that all the acts that matter will be there,” says Sorcar Jr.

A conversation with the duo inevitably steers to the history of magic in India. Sorcars’ recorded history,says Maneka,goes back to a reference in the Jahangir- nama (Memoirs of Jahangir),in which a group of magicians performed for emperor Jahangir. Impressed by magician Krishna Chandra Deo ,he asked him if he wanted a tohfa (gift). “Deo in return asked for social recognition to keep the art alive,” says Maneka. Gifted a piece of land (sarkari),Deo adopted the name Sarkar,which the seventh generation PC Sorcar changed it to what it is now. “In wider arena,the association with Sorcar is instant — sorcery,” says Maneka.

Those who have grown up in India in the 20th century associate magic with late Padma Shri-awardee PC Sorcar,Sorcar Jr’s father . “He took magic to a much higher pedestal. From the idea of half-naked fakirs on the streets,he emerged as the bejewelled Maharaja of magic. A voice was given to this art form,” says Maneka.

The family rues how magic has been misused by “godmen” and television serials which aim to expose magic acts. The mention of the former immediately shifts our attention to Sorcar Jr’s fingers,laden with rings. “These were given to me when my father had a heart attack in 1971. It was a way of telling me to continue the legacy,” says Sorcar Jr.

In 2000,Sorcar Jr confronted late spiritual guru,Sathya Sai Baba and told him he uses stage magic. Maneka says,“I’d told my father that what he did was extremely foolish because once Sathya Sai Baba came to know he was being challenged,he could harm my father. But my father said that he was in search of answers.” Loosely based on this is the 1989 Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Jaadugar,which,says an amused Sorcar Jr,managed to “Bollywoodise” the incident.

He remains optimistic about the future of professional magicians. “Much of it depends on the viewers who are now more educated. And by educated,I don’t mean educationally qualified. I mean people who understand the nuances of this art form,” he says. Apart from the shows,there’s a biopic on Sorcar Jr in the making,which is currently under wraps. For now the magician sees his life as a fairy tale. “Most of them usually end with a happily ever after. For us,that is the beginning,” he says.

Indrajal will be on till June 9 at FICCI Auditorium at 6.30 pm. Contact 23738760