The recession in 2008 might have been frightful for some, but for others like Aakarsh S Bhat, it was a window to capitalise on their other talents. For him, it was literally magic.
The Mangaluru boy who is now based in the city is a self-taught illusionist, hypnotist and mentalist and has grown his name as Illusionist Axe, a performance that you can watch today at 7 pm at Horn Ok Please in Indiranagar.
“I was always interested in mystical sciences – be it magic or spirituality since childhood.
At 16, I took it up as a serious hobby,” says the software engineer. “When I was done studying, the software industry was hit hard by recession and I continued to work at a small firm in Mangaluru till I realised my true potential to be a performer,” he shares.
That’s when he made the life-altering decision to set sail to the US – not to work in front of a computer, but to sail on cruise ships, performing close up illusions with sleight of hand, mind mysteries and hypnosis for starters. He may have performed over 800 shows across USA, Mexico and the Caribbean, but he still remembers the first trick up his sleeve — “When I was 10, I had learnt this trick where you fold a handkerchief around a match stick and then you break the match stick from the outside. But when you open the handkerchief, the match stick is magically restored! It brought me a lot of reputation at school too,” laughs the 28-year-old, who doubles as a theatrical pickpocket.
Inspired by American magician, David Blaine, Aakarsh has always believed illusions to be pure science. “It’s just that part of science that the common man hasn’t explored yet,” he says.
With a number of shows lined up, his arsenal, he says, has a number of tricks he is yet to road test. To give you an idea of what he can do – passing one cigarette through another is one of them. A trick that never fails him? “A bank note disappears from my hands and reappears from inside an uncut orange (Yup, the fruit), which was gift wrapped and given to an audience member way ahead of time!” he says about his signature move.
Speaking of moves, “A number of people have always assumed that I have a lot of girlfriends because of magic. Not true. I’m single,” he laughs.
A versatile magician, Aakarsh also doubles as a singer, dancer, a martial artist, an avid gamer and an entrepreneur with his own startup called TalentCult, a website that allows you to book artistes like him for events.
“I don’t have long term goals,” he tells us frankly. “I am happy where I am. I have decided to work hard on my magic, my company and on my spiritual path – something that’s equally important to be aware of myself and my illusions,” he concludes.
