On TrickyTerrain

“The Indian audience is very intelligent so they will not be swayed by fancy use of technology or gadgetry while performing a trick,” he remarks,settling down on his bar stool,looking ordinary in his patched-up denim jacket and jeans. “I have deliberately tempered my shows in India. The props used are utilitarian,since it makes it more believable for an audience. Also due to frequent power outages in India,if I use technology,my shows would fall flat should there be a power cut,” he says.

Just moments ago,he was amusing a crowd of 500 by breaking a ceramic vase into shards,and then magically resurrecting it nonchalantly. Before that,he had shown one of the oldest tricks in the book— cutting up a woman and then have her emerge hale and hearty from a wooden box. These,though,are tame tricks for a person known for his wild illusions. In the America of the ’80s,when sporting waist length hair for guys was considered cool and MTV was the ‘nicotine shot’ for an entire generation,Harary was making Michael Jackson careen through the stage like superman without any suspenders,transforming Janet Jackson into a black panther and making Madonna materialise on stage from a ball of smoke. In fact,he was the go-to person when pop and rock stars wanted an effects supervisor for their live concerts.

Harary,42,says he was happy to oblige. It was in 1984,when Harary was pursuing music from the Michigan State University that he drew the attention of Michael Jackson and accompanied him on his “Victory Tour”. “I was just a college student who was learning music and had a passion for magic. I realised I could combine both interests profitably so I took up the challenges,” says Harary,who created concert effects for TLC,Prince and N’ Sync through the ’80s and ’90s.

His magic shows are full of background music from Nickleback,Linkin Park and U2,with skimpily dressed show girls prancing before or after a performance. “I am a product of the 80s pop-music culture. Music runs in my blood,” he admits. His appearance,too,accentuates the ‘rock-and-roll’ magician’s image. His work ethics are equally simple: “I don’t claim to have superpowers. That is egotistical. I simply wrap my magic in technology to recall the child-like wonder in man for two hours,” he says,while casually levitating a paper napkin.

Harary is assisted by a team of 200 technicians for his shows. In India,his shows will include tricks learnt over two decades including his grand finale — a take-off on Harry Houdini’s ‘The Great Escape’—which involves locking himself in a metal box,suspended 10 feet in the air and escaping.

The 90-minute show is on daily. Tickets: Rs 750 and Rs 2,000.