Mentalist Suhani Shah is set to read the audience’s minds

All mentalists are magicians, but all magicians aren’t mentalists, says Suhani Shah, who will be performing in the city next month. Completing 25 years in the field, she will begin a multi-city tour and is notably excited about it. This tour, she says, is a one of the biggest risks she has taken, as she believes India hasn’t truly experienced a mentalism show.

She says mentalism is about showmanship, as the person needs to be confident, comfortable on stage and have a command over their body language. “It’s a game of influence and control. There isn’t a lot of tricks like other magic. If I go wrong, I don’t have a stack of cards, or a hat to hold on to. I have to just stand there, embarrassed,” shares Shah.

Titled Kahaani, the twohour set will take the audience on a journey through Shah’s life. But “as we gradually move into the show, they (the audience) will realise that this kahaani is about everyone. They will see how everything is intertwined and how everyone’s life is connected,” she says.

The 32-year-old fell in love with magic when she was only six-years-old and decided to make it her career path, and her parents encouraged her. With no magic school that she could attend, Shah had multiple gurus who taught her. “My dad was visionary and he doesn’t do anything small,” she says, adding, “My first performance was a grand stage show, not performed at school or a family function.”

And she has been touring ever since. “Whenever I start a show, I always tell people that I don’t read minds; I only give an illusion of reading. I am very clear about the art form. I never want to spread a superstition around it,” Shah signs off.

Mentalism is a game of influence and control.There isn’t a lot of tricks like other magic. SUHANI SHAH, Mentalist