An entire amphitheatre sits in rapt attention as mentalist Aathi places his fingers on the hands of an audience member. In the background, a melancholic tune emanates from renowned violinist Balabhaskar’s fiddle. Not a single word is spoken. Within seconds, the individual’s eyes widen in disbelief and wonder, as the tune morphs into the melody that was playing in their mind!
To the untrained eye, Aathi will appear to have guessed the tune residing in another person’s mind and transferred the thought into the violinist’s consciousness. But, the 30-year-old mentalist employs the power of suggestion, observation and psychology amongst other trickery (think reading microexpressions), to pull off many such psychological illusions. I catch up with the performance artistes prior to their upcoming Mind & Music show at Wayanad, to find out more.
Threading the needle
After touring Istanbul, Qatar, Australia and Dubai with this 135-minute spectacle, the dynamic duo has returned to Kerala. “We constantly rehearse to perfect the routine. But since mentalism is the main thread into which music is weaved, 90 per cent of our show is about channelling the audience interaction. Therefore, each show is unique,” states the award-winning violinist.
But, why bother blending two completely independent performance arts? “It took me three years to design this show. While showcasing many varied illusions, it’s Balu’s musical ability to tug at heartstrings which balances out the sense of ambiguity which arises from my mentalism showcase,” explains Aathi, adding that, this see-sawing blend of ‘Mind & Music’ instils an intense ‘emotional recall’ and ‘sense of awe’ in viewers which lasts for weeks after attending their show.
At Vythiri Village Resort.
On May 20. `2,000 onwards.
Details: in.bookmyshow.com