GOPINATH MUTHUKAD’S MAGIC REALISM

In a chat during his Delhi visit, Gopinath Muthukad reflected on his shift from the world of magic to building opportunities for differently-abled children. Magic was his own achievement, it’s about building ‘something larger’, he says.

- ADITHI REENA AJITH

IN 1987, when a young Gopinath Muthukad stepped on stage at Tagore Centenary Hall in Kerala’s Kozhikode, his only dream was to become Kerala’s best magician. “Back then, magic was my only passion,” he tells TMS in an interview during his recent Delhi visit. “My only goal was to rise up as one of the best in Kerala. In those days, people only knew street magic and professional shows weren't a thing. That’s when I believed I wanted to stay in this field and popularise it.”

Since then, he has travelled far beyond that first ambition. He became one of India’s most celebrated magicians, performing across the world and winning the prestigious International Merlin Award in 2011—the magician’s equivalent of an Oscar.

But beyond the tricks, for Muthukad, magic was also about belief, wonder, and communication. “Magic is a beautiful art, one step ahead of science. Just like music or dance, it needs daily practice and inborn talent. There’s no superpower behind it, just art and discipline,” he tells TMS.