Exhibition of talent: A magical evening

The Grand Illusion Show treated audience to a night of tricks and stunts

KARACHI:

Magic shows are for children. This popular belief was proven wrong as adults in large numbers made their way to the Grand Illusion Show at the Defence Creek Club, sponsored by the Express Media Group on Saturday evening. The two-hour show kept the audience enraptured as magicians performed stunt after stunt, involving people of all ages.

As the name suggests, the show did not merely comprise a few magic tricks that can be performed on the roadside. It was actually a demonstration of illusion. Munawar Khan, an acclaimed magician who has proven his skills on television numerous times, was the star of the evening as he played one trick after the other, some spanning several minutes.

Read: Fun, thrill and magic just a few hours away

Origami, the Japanese art of folding paper, was exhibited by Khan in the form of an illusion. Several boxes of paper were unfolded and a girl stepped in and hid herself within the boundaries of these boxes. Khan, with his partner, Musawar Khan, folded the paper boxes in one stack and pierced three pointed swords in the front, side and top of the boxes as the audience watched on, mesmerised. The table, on which the boxes rested, was rotated, the paper boxes were unfolded once again and the girl appeared, unharmed and smiling.





Alongside the simple tricks, some of the stunts were very intricate and involved a lot of thought and preparation, such as the ones that made use of handcuffs and ropes. Khan called for volunteers from the audience and involved them in the illusions to spice up the atmosphere. Taking inspiration from the famous illusionist Harry Houdini, Khan was locked in handcuffs by two volunteers, only to free himself behind a piece of cloth. With his easygoing nature and open admission 'han han bhai, magic main bhi ghalti hojati hai' (Yes brother, mistakes happen in magic too), he set the audience at ease.

"These shows are a regular occurrence [at the Creek Club] for members only," said a senior member. "There are movie nights featuring English movies only. Then we have qawwali and musical nights. This time the members are being treated to an illusion show. It's a nice change," he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 10^th, 2015.