Main aaj jo bhi hoon, it’s because of the art of magic: Suhani Shah

Written By: Harsh KashivSuhani Shah, a magician and mentalist known for leaving audiences genuinely baffled, commands a massive online presence and devoted following among Gen Z and millennials. In town recently for a show, she spoke to us about her formative years in Ahmedabad, common misconceptions about mentalism, whether magic can be taught, and more.‘I began my career in Ahmedabad’Suhani shares, “I was brought up in Ahmedabad and began my career here. Coming here feels like coming back home. I used to go to Law Garden with my parents and loved hanging out with friends at CG Road and Panjrapole. I love having pizza at my favourite outlet here.”Talking about her new show, Spellbound, she adds, “I’ve picked my favourite acts from all my earlier shows and combined them into one. It’s a highlight reel of my best acts.”‘I don’t get nervous while performing in front of celebs’Talking about performing alongside big celebrities, she says, “I don’t get nervous performing in front of celebrities or while collaborating with them. There’s a flutter while introducing a new act for the first time on stage, but I call it excitement. It’s part and parcel of what I do now.”‘There’s a lack of core understanding about my art’Concepts like magic and mentalism are widely misunderstood, and Suhani receives fan requests that range from funny to heartbreaking. She reveals, “My job is to make sure the art form reaches the masses in the right way, but I still get overwhelming requests that show a lack of core understanding about my art. People ask if I can retrieve forgotten passwords or predict lottery numbers. But there have been serious ones too; there was a child whose mother was in coma, with an active brain. They asked if I could tell what she was thinking.”‘Only a magician can speak against the misuse of magic’Suhani is emphatic about drawing a clear line between her art, superstition, and spirituality. “Honesty is important in art. Main aaj jo bhi hoon, it’s because of the art of magic. Mujhe aaj jo bhi aata hai woh jaadu ki kala se seekh payi hoon. It’s my responsibility towards my art to speak honestly about it. In India, there’s a lot of confusion where magic, religion and spirituality are mixed together. The difference between these separate fields has not been defined properly,” she shares.She adds, “Magic is also misused a lot. As a magician, my strength is the method behind magic, a secret that has been kept for ages. If someone uses that secret to take people in the wrong direction, only a magician who knows it can speak against it.”‘Magic should get recognition and respect in India’Suhani is passionate about restoring magic’s rightful place in society. “Earlier, magicians from outside India would come here, learn it, and perform in their own countries, sometimes colouring their skin brown to appear authentic. I believe magic as an art form should get recognition and respect in India, and superstition should not be spread in its name. It’s a beautiful, intelligent art form, difficult to master and demands real dedication,” she says.Asked if she plans to teach magic to serious aspirants, she says, “I’ll never teach it to someone from scratch. Magic is very different from other arts — if you teach dance, dance spreads and flourishes. But if too many people know the secrets behind magic, the art loses relevance. There will be no mystery left. However, we live in the age of the internet, and if someone already knows magic and wants to improve, I will definitely help them.”‘Gujarati content is totally killing it’Suhani, who has been busy with solo shows, corporate gigs and television appearances, is proud of the Gujarati entertainment boom. “Gujarati content is totally killing it. Woh kehte hain na, ki agar Gujarati log nahi karenge toh aur kaun karega! Whenever regional films do well, we feel good. Main Gujarati hoon; agar Gujarat se achcha content aa raha hai toh I feel even better,” she says.She adds, “Earlier, people wanted all their entertainment at home. Now, they want to go out and experience it live, especially after the pandemic. There’s also a deeper appreciation for art that people discovered when they were homebound. People are supporting art like never before. It’s a great time to be an artist right now.”