The mystique of mentalism

Allan Louie enraptured his audience with interactive magic, mind reading, mentalism and other feats at the ‘Mind, Magic and Mystery’ show recently held at Atta Galatta. Allan, who has conducted several shows on cruises abroad, says that there is a distinct difference between audiences in India and abroad. “If I’m doing anything particularly strong, like mentalism or hypnosis, in India it raises the discussion of if it’s real or not. There is always a religious mindset that I have to worry about. But in the West, they understand that this is a mode of entertainment, and it is easier like that,” he says.

When talking about the stereotypes attached to magic and magicians, Allan says that it is a common occurrence. “When people hear the word magic they think of rabbits, top hats, and an endless silk cloth up your sleeve. But what we do is very different from old school magic. This new age magic hasn’t picked up in India, but there is so much potential.” The number of new age magicians in India is very few, he says. “You can count them on one hand. It’s growing, of course, but we are still a very small amount.”

The future of magic, Allan says, is very promising. “People are fascinated with new age magic so it will grow. This is from my perspective, of course, since I deal mainly with mentalism. There are also youngsters who want to learn magic. It’s a very good way for introverts like me to interact with others and make friends.”

When asked if he might try his hand at something else in the future, Allan says that he wants to study card tricks. “I’m not interested in making money out of this. I want to know more about the art form and the possibilities I can achieve. I’m constantly experimenting and searching for more things to learn.” Allan also tries to understand magic from a scientific point of view. “I like knowing why things happen. I’m always reading books about physics and stuff. I want to know why something supernatural happens, when it is, in fact, natural – but we just haven’t tapped into it yet and don’t know enough about it.”

People are fascinated with new age magic so it will grow, This is from my perspective, of course, since I deal mainly with mentalism.