They say that a good musician can make people close their eyes but a great magician ensures that they open them wide in pure amazement. Well, the city of Mangaluru has one such great magician. He can mesmerize any audience with his magic tricks, and make the thin line between reality and illusion, disappear from sight!
He is Kudla’s pride and joy, Kudroli Ganesh, already a sensation in the world of magic, has brought Mangaluru great honor and pride. Kudroli Ganesh has won 11 prestigious national magic awards and is a force to reckon with in the world of Magic in the sub-continent, having relentlessly striven to revive the mysticism of ancient Indian Magic. He has performed over 1500 shows in the country and across the borders with his troupe which goes by the name “Vismaya” Magic Troupe. A man with a golden heart, his accolades include the Indrajala Prathibha Mega Magic Award, Illusion Magic Award and Twin Gold Medal Magic Award among others.
NewsKarnataka Dubai sat down with Kudroli Ganesh, of “India’s Got Talent” fame and persuaded him to share his story of his journey into the wonderful world of illusion, from his influences, to his ups and downs in an exclusive interview.
Excerpts from the interview:
To begin with, what attracted you to the world of illusion?
My journey began right from my childhood. I showed a great amount of passion when it came to science oriented experiments and inventions. During my school days, I chanced upon a book of magic tricks, which mentioned simple magic involving rubber bands and other household items.
When I joined pre- university, I came across another book which had more advanced magic, which required more dedication. This got me more attracted to magic and I soon started to learn a lot in a more professional setup from amateur magician Pradeep Soori. With his guidance, I began to perform in various stage programmes.
During my college days, I was interested in several cultural activities and extensively in journalism. I developed a desire to present magic in different and attractive ways as I believe that magic is a dry art and you have to fill it with humor and attraction.
What would you consider as a major breakthrough in your career in the world of illusion?
I got an opportunity to perform at Trivandrum at a competition named Vismaya convention held in 1998 which was supported by Kerala illusionists association. I performed my own creative art ‘Tulunadu Cups and balls’ and I got India’s mega magic award.
I got that award beating 90 experienced magicians from all over India, over 4 divisions of the competition. During the same year, I participated in another competition and presented the ‘Tulunada Bhoota Kola illusion’ act and I received an award there as well. I felt that it was a breakthrough for my career and I made up my mind to make my career in the field.
Making a career in a creative field is not as easy as it seems. There are several hurdles that you must have faced. What was the role your family played in this journey of yours?
I had a dream to live a life in a different way compared to others. After my basic education, I got a job in one of Karnataka’s leading newspapers and at the same time I got 2 national awards for my illusion talent. I was in such a dilemma as to making a career choice and ultimately, I chose magic. Everyone discouraged me including my family, but I had confidence that I will achieve great heights in illusion field. Today everyone is happy.
What is India’s contribution to the field of illusion?
To put it in a simple manner, today, there is no contribution at all from India. But ancient India has made a huge contribution to this field. Previously, India was well-known for street magicians who performed on Temple verandas and village panchayat platforms. Eventually, for the entertainment of British soldiers, theaters were introduced and magic moved in to theatre from the streets.
No one supported these street magicians to save their art form. Legendary magicians like PC Sarkar traveled worldwide and they implemented western style into their magic and when our authentic magic changed into western tricks, then lack of new sense came in and basic magic started to eliminate slowly.
The new magicians started to follow western styles and they did not try to provide a link between western and India’s authentic magic tricks. Due to this gap, Indian magicians were not able to compete on a global level of magic, because they were not efficient to present anything different from western magicians.
While considering other entertainment mediums like movies, soaps, sports etc., do you feel illusion has a future as a mode of entertainment?
It’s a bit difficult to consider illusion as entertainment media until and unless it is embedded into a movie format. When I consider a common man’s thinking, they will never accept any performer, if he is not performing on stage for at least 2 hours. So it’s difficult to get a local market for short term performances.
But in corporate sectors, star hotels look for creative, fame oriented short time entertainment options that are attractive and interesting. In these areas, magicians must work out ways where they can provide quality shows and create a market as well. It is very tough to impress people in the field of magic and illusion because you do not have the option to make mistakes but you are bound to impress the audience if you succeed.
Do you use any new technology in your magic?
Yes. Magic is sort of a trick that takes place between the audiences’ eye and speed of magician. New technologies and inventions have made magic easier and I am implementing them in a formal way. It helps me a lot in entertaining audiences and presenting magic in a more lively and attractive way.
Some sections of the media have previously tried to reveal the secrets behind your magic in the past which led to controversies regarding the authenticity of your magic. How did it affect you as a magician?
Yes. These things are very hurtful for a magician. Even though we are creating illusions with our skills, people started calling it cheating at one point. There are people who have indulged in this art form only to make money. One gentleman from the West was such a magician and when someone asked him to reveal the secrets of his magic, he did so for the money. That show became so viral that many Indian and local channels also copied it and broadcast / published it in native languages. But by God’s grace I have not experienced such accusations from people and I have been entertaining them till today.
What is your contribution to the field of illusion?
When anyone asks me as to what my contribution to his field is, I feel immensely proud to say that I have given a culture based authentic illusion format to world of magic.
The link that was missing from our traditional street magicians, I have tried to link these royal eras of Indian illusion heritage using my authentic illusion format. When my authentic magic format is performed anywhere in the world, it stands out as nobody can perform similar formats. If this continues and all magicians try to give their own soil flavored authentic magic format to the field, then India will become a rich hub of unique magic.
Does the Government help you to document these illusions?
As of now, Indian magical skills are not documented. There are many magicians all over the India who are performing but their unique skills are not documented. In Karnataka, rather than blaming the Government, it is better if we say we have not approached the concerned authorities. I believe in the Government and I am sure that if we approach them then they will support us. I am confident with it because Kerala state is giving its support to their state’s magicians.
What are your future plans as magician?
I want to teach magic full-time through a dedicated institution. It will be dedicated to training and creating content based magicians, so that we can make world class magicians and continue the heritage of Indian magic. But as of now, I am dedicated to my profession and I do not want to deviate with these things and may consider this as one of my retirement projects.
What is your message to the readers of News Karnataka?
The shows that I present on stage are temporary and they are trick-based magic. But the real magic of life is living together with real happiness. A smile on the face when we meet each other will keep the relationship alive and that happiness itself is the real magic of life. And I want to see this real magic created by every person every single day. So live happy and maintain relationships with a smile.
Watch glimpses of Kudroli Ganesh’s performances in India’s Got Talent and Vismaya Jadoo show here
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