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PHOTO: M. KARUNAKARAN

TIME FOR TRICKS Pouroosh at the magic show

But P.C. Sorcar (Young) could not help it. He was multi-faceted and wanted to develop each of his special skills. He had received a private and a commercial pilot’s licence. To show he has connection with Chennai beyond stage performances, he says, “I got my licence from the Madras Flying Club.” And from Calcutta University, he got a master’s degree in applied mathematics. He was also a kathak dancer, a sitarist and a music composer. In 1982, P.C. Sorcar (Young) used these multiple skills to present, “Rhythm of 262 BC”, a ballet on Emperor Ashoka.

In that year, there was a turnaround and he began to put magic ahead of all other things. “My father wanted me to follow in his footsteps. After his death, my mother constantly reminded me of my father’s wish.”

For P.C. Sorcar (Young), becoming a magician was like a wanderer returning home. Far from abandoning the other skills, he began using them to spice up his magic shows. His tricks are accompanied by his compositions. And the tricks are performed with unmistakable kathak movements. In a trick called ‘X-ray Eyes’, he displays his love for mathematics. Someone from the audience is asked to write an algebraic formula on a blackboard, which he spells out blindfolded. With his eyes shut tight with dough and a cloth, he predicts and even adds up five to six digit numbers written down by a spectator.

As with most magicians, P.C. Sorcar (Young) follows a template and his tricks fall into all the popular categories – vanishing (example: the disappearance of milk poured into a cone-shaped paper), restoring (example: a woman sawn into two is made whole again), teleporting (example: he changes places, from the stage to the back of the auditorium), penetrating (example: saws and swords are inserted into a metal box that has a person) and predicting (example: repeating lines and equations written on a board, blindfolded). P.C. Sorcar (Young) says mesmerism and hypnotism lie outside these formulaic tricks and that he has used them on very few occasions. Magicians should possess an extra sense, says P.C. Sorcar. He demystifies it saying one has to be aware of what is happening around oneself.

It is obvious P. C. Sorcar (Young) wants to bring his son Pouroosh Chandra Sorcar – known as P.C. Sorcar (Master) – as the ninth generation magician from the P.C. Sorcar family. At the shows at Kalaivanar Arangam, the son gets to perform an equal number of tricks. Noteworthy performances from P.C. Sorcar (Junior) includes the “Curse Of Chemia”, where he makes the body of a princess levitate and disappear before finally restoring it to the coffin, and “The Deadly Passthrough” in which he goes through a revolving industrial fan.

Unlike his father, P.C. Sorcar (Master) had no problem prioritising his skills. He can sing and play the piano and the drums. He has come out with a solo English rock album with eight songs. But, he says, “Music will always play second fiddle to magic. From a young age, I have wanted to be a magician.”

Magic shows by P.C. Sorcar (Young) and P.C. Sorcar (Master) are on at Kalaivanar Arangam till January 27.

For details, call 99410 18686.

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