Meet the ‘Magic Boi’ 

Chetan Mehta or popularly known as ‘Ce’ is a winner of hearts and minds. How so? With his insane yet interesting magic tricks and mind-reading skills, the 25-year-old has been mesmersing the audience. Chetan a.k.a the ‘Magic Boi’ has performed some jaw-dropping magic tricks on India’s Got Talent and amazed stars like Malaika Arora, Karan Johar, and Kirron Kher. When asked how he discovered his calling, the Apeejay College of Fine Arts (ACFA) alumnus answered, “Since childhood I was really fascinated with the world of magic where everything is possible. I was around 11 years old when I saw magic for the first time. As a kid, I used to think life would become easy with magic as I could do homework in seconds.

“You just need to learn a few tricks and spell ‘Wingardium Leviosa’ maybe! But it wasn’t like that,” he laughs.

Today, Chetan is recognised as one of India’s leading modern magicians performing fresh, modern and visually appealing tricks that remain in the minds and hearts of his viewers. Read edited excerpts of the interview to learn about his magical journey:

How did you realise your calling for performing magic tricks? When did you perform your first magic trick? What was it?

This goes way back to my childhood. I got my first magic book from my elder brother through which I learnt and performed my first trick to vanish a toothpick in front of a mirror. I was just amazed by myself only, and so were my family and friends when I showed them. I performed magic in my locality as well. This is how I realised the calling for this beautiful art. 

Learning magic was like exploring the universe and it was a process which I fell in love with. When I was pursuing Fine Arts in my graduation, I got the opportunity to present my passion and that made my roots deeply connected with this art and I just never looked back.

Your role model?

Dynamo, a well-known British magician. Right from his walk on water across River Thames a few years back to every other magical trick that he performs.  

You are known as the Magic Boi and as one of India’s leading modern magicians. What is modern magic all about? How do you make your magic and tricks appealing for the audience?  

Well, modern magic is about performing magic in a modern way. It’s all about how you present your magic and I believe magic should feel real. When I am performing, I believe in my magic even though I know the secret. I always find different ways of connecting my magic with people .

How can one become a magician or establish a career in this field?

Magic requires dexterity, peace and a mirror.

What skills are required to become a magician?

Basic skills such as misdirection, manual dexterity, sleight of hand, and audience management are necessary.

Magic delights everyone, irrespective of their age. Who is your audience? Do you have different magic tricks for different age groups? 

I show magic to any age group – it doesn’t matter if it is a kid or 50-year-old person. Sometimes, I focus on youth. I am an extrovert and I meet a lot of people from different age groups. I just make sure I show the right magic trick in front of the right age group. And when I get an instant reaction from my audience, that gives me the feeling of a ‘superhuman’.  

In this digital world, how do you keep up with the demand of online audiences? 

I am not a social media person personally but I post my videos online. I try to make them different and a lot of hard work goes in–days and nights are spent to create one brilliant magic. And especially when it’s uploaded online, the audience who is seeing it is massive and thus, when I post something, it should bring a buzz in my audience. The magic must look real.  

How did your parents and Apeejay support you in this journey?

My parents supported me a lot when I started with this journey. In fact, they are my first audience. Whenever I learn or have learned a new magic trick, I show it to them. And that has been a part of my process. After joining college, there used to be a lot of different events in which I used to participate and that helped me in my growth.    

Any upcoming show?

Working on some new projects from the last few years that will push it out next year. I love TV style magic and so, I am soon going to launch my own street magic show. 

What’s your secret mantra to success? 

Have patience and trust the universe. If you work on something you love and do it with all your heart, you can achieve anything.

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