Young, smart and urbane... Kruti Parekh is one of the new breed of magicians who are changing the way magic is understood in India. The 23-year-old illusionist from Mumbai, who performs shows all over the world, refers to them as ‘products’. She started performing at the age of 5, and today she wears many a hat: she is a magician, an IT professor and an avid environmentalist. But who is the real Kruti? “First and foremost I am a magician. I studied IT to defy the conventional image of magicians as uneducated people,” says Kruti.
The young and articulate magician believes that magic is the biggest science. “What was magic yesterday is science today and what is magic today will be science tomorrow,” she says. Kruti’s first lessons in magic came from books and videos and later from the renowned magician William Zambago.
Kruti has been in the pay of Reliance, Tatas, Air India, Lufthansa and ABN Ambro, charging a minimum of Rs 50,000 for a half an hour show. “It is costly — but clients get an A-class product from me. Everything, right from my attire to the music to the lights of my shows is customised according to the needs of my clients,” says Kruti.
She feels that there is lesser acceptability for women in the male bastion of magic. “It has not been easy being a woman magician, a lot of people keep trying to pull my leg,” says Kruti. So how does she stay ahead of the competition? “The trick lies in innovation at least in terms of presentation. These days, a magician should be a good dancer, orator, and actor.” says the ace illusionist.
As a magician, she has some ambitious plans. “I want to disappear from the earth and appear on Mars,” says Kruti.
{{/usCountry}}As a magician, she has some ambitious plans. “I want to disappear from the earth and appear on Mars,” says Kruti.
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