Mentalist Suhani Shah’s multi-city tour will take the audience through her life’s journey

All mentalists are magicians, but all magicians aren’t mentalists, says Suhani Shah, who will be performing in the city soon. Completing 25 years of performing, this is Shah’s silver jubilee, multi-city tour and she is notably excited about it. This tour, she says, is a one of the biggest risks she has taken as she believes India hasn’t truly experienced a mentalism show.

She says mentalism is all about showmanship as the person needs to be confident, comfortable on stage and have a command over their body language. It’s a game of influence and control. There isn’t a lot of tricks like other magic. And if I go wrong, I don’t have a stack of cards, or a hat to hold on to. I just have to stand there with the embarrassment,” shares Shah.

Titled Kahaani, the two-hour set will take the audience on a journey through Shah’s life. But “as we gradually move into the show, they (the audience) will begin to realize that this kahaani is about everyone. It’s not just Suhani ki Kahaani. They will realise how everyone is intertwined with each other, and how every audience member’s life is connected,” she says.

The 32-year-old fell in love with magic when she was only six-years-old and decided that this would be her career path, and her parents encouraged her. With no one magic school she could attend, Shah had multiple gurus who taught her all that they knew. “My dad was visionary and he doesn’t do anything small,” she says, adding, “My first performance was a grand stage show, not performed at school or at a family function.”

She has been touring since then. “Whenever I start my show, I always tell people that I don’t read minds, I only give an illusion of reading. I’m very clear about the art form. I never want to like spread a superstition around it,” she signs off.