ILLUMINATED BY ILLUSION
Ace magician Rahul Kharbanda gets candid about working with Akshay Kumar in Atrangi Re
New age illusionist Rahul Kharbanda is the man behind all the magic acts of Akshay Kumar in Atrangi Re. The Free Press Journal caught up with him for an exclusive interaction.
When asked about getting an opportunity to work on
Atrangi Re, Rahul shares, “It was just another normal day at work, and my phone rang. I answered a query that initially sounded like a general show performance. The lady on the other side then mentioned that it was a movie shoot and if I could teach illusions to the lead actor, visual acts like producing birds out of thin air and other objects. I said yes, and she asked me to share a few related videos. I shared my detailed profile, and after a week, I got a call that I have been selected. They needed to discuss the scope of work at a Zoom call meeting. I met the whole creative team on that call, who explained the requirements of magic sequences in the film and how and where magic needs to be incorporated. And that’s how it rolled forward.”
Rahul is all praise for Bollywood superstar Akshay. “It’s been one of the unforgettable experiences of my magic career. I still remember my first day on the set when I met Akshay sir. He has a magnetic personality and an amazing aura. His fitness is very inspiring, and his energy level is always high on the sets. He watched my performance of a few proposed acts that Aanand L Rai sir (director) had shortlisted for the shot, out of which he selected some and then started the practice and execution. He was very quick on adapting most of the props and executed them with finesse.”
When further probed if he showed some magic tricks to Akshay besides the sequences he shot for the film, he reveals, “I attended three phases of the shooting of Atrangi Re. The first one was all the movie sequences involving magic at different script points. I used to meet AK sir directly on the sets for this just before the actual shots. The second was during the shoot of the promo song
Garda at Filmcity, Mumbai, which was choreographed by Masterji Ganesh Acharya. This song had a lot of visual magic that was incorporated directly on the set after approvals from Aanand sir and Ganeshji. The third phase was the promotion of the film at The Kapil Sharma Show. Here I got the best of exclusive personal time with AK sir. I even accompanied him to the sets of his upcoming movie Ram Setu which was happening in Diu at that time.”
After the film’s release, Rahul got many more similar offers. “Post the Atrangi Re shoot, I got a call from the South Indian film industry for a movie that had a big star cast and the leading actor in the movie was playing the role of a magician. The discussion went on, but it was delayed due to the rising pandemic. I hope that project is revived. With the pace with which OTT platforms are growing, I strongly feel that this is the golden period for every art form. This is probably the best time after the Internet in which all the art forms are so well exposed to the world,” he explains. On a parting note, he spills the beans of an OTT offer. “I recently got a call from a talent agency for their requirement of a role of a classic age magician. At first, I took it as some consultancy work, but they clarified that it’s an important role in an upcoming OTT series. They gave me a few lines that I needed to learn and perform with a given set-up of a magician. After about five videos, I got the feel of the role and improvised on my dialogue delivery. I finally had my best-recorded audition. I forwarded it to them, but unfortunately, didn’t get selected,” he concludes.