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 us 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 us.
For over 40 years, the stage was his life—performing almost daily, constantly innovating new illusions and tricks. “You can sing the same song multiple times, but you can’t repeat the same magic trick. If I perform in Delhi this month, I can’t repeat the same act the next time I am here. That daily demand for innovation was a challenge, but also my strength,” he says.
Yet a meeting in Kasaragod with victims of the Endosulfan tragedy a few years ago changed his path forever. "That was when I realised there are people suffering in ways I had never seen. It was a turning point. I never thought of leaving magic until then, but slowly, I felt I had to use magic differently," he explains.
His first step was to establish institutions such as the Magic Academy in Thiruvananthapuram in 1996—considered the world’s first academy for magic—and later, a theatre where children could perform. In August, at a tribute show for his father Kunhunni Nair in Kozhikode, Muthukad announced he would retire from paid professional shows to dedicate himself fully to philanthropy.
Magician with a cause
For Muthukad, magic has always been a tool for transformation. Through five national voyages like the Vismay Bharata Yatra (2007), Mission India (2010), and Inclusive India (2024), he travelled across India spreading messages of harmony, anti-terrorism, and social inclusion. He recalls a memory from the journey—a programme in Ranchi, where a boy in a wheelchair had to be lifted onto stage because there was no ramp. “I said, this is our problem, we only think of our comfort. The committee head promised to act, and ten days later, they had demolished the stairs and built a ramp. That’s the kind of change I want to inspire,” he says.
The centre of his life now is the International Institute for People with Disability (IIPD), coming up in Kasaragod. He calls it his most ambitious project yet. “It will be a 360-degree model, different from existing spaces because it addresses all disabilities. We are planning facilities for youth preparing for the sports and arts with facilities like hydrotherapy and animal therapy, and specialised medical care. The first phase will be ready by 2026, and fully operational by 2029,” he says. The idea for IIPD came from the success of his Different Art Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, which gives children with special needs a platform to perform and grow.
Illusion and inspiration
After retiring from commercial magic, Muthukad admits performing for packed halls is a void that cannot be replaced, though he hopes to find time to return to it after his philanthropic work. “I miss magic. I enjoyed performing daily for changing audiences, meeting people across the world. It cannot be replaced. But balancing both careers is impossible. To maintain a troupe and constantly create new tricks takes daily focus. If you don’t dedicate yourself fully, it won’t develop into its full form,” he says.
He says the sacrifice is worth it. “When it comes to philanthropy, it’s not about me, but about people who are in need of help. Magic was my own achievement; this is about building something larger,” he says, referring to the life of renowned Malayalam poet Vallathol Narayana Menon founding Kerala Kalamandalam, a major educational institute for Indian traditional arts, which is said to have been built through public funds and lottery sales. “Even so, it stands today as one of Kerala’s premier institutions. That’s the kind of legacy I want for IIPD.”
This article is written by Adithi Reena Ajith