Two years ago, asked about his aim in life, psychological illusionist Arjun Guru had said, “I want to be successful and show the world that everyone can follow their heart and stay happy.” Now, with back-to-back college and corporate shows, Arjun is one of the most-sought-after mentalists in town. Looking more confident and chirpy, the youngster is all set to make his next big move – a prediction of the Lok Sabha election results, which will be declared by Thursday evening.
Arjun has already made a video of his prediction and has uploaded it on YouTube, keeping it hidden. By Thursday noon, a few hours after the counting begins, he will make it public. Just wait till the end result to know if he predicted it all right. “I have predicted the number of seats each party will win at the national level and who will be forming the government,” says a beaming Arjun.
Ask him why a mentalist is making a poll prediction, he smiles, “I am a mentalist and all the while, I have been making predictions by reading minds. Public verdict is a collective opinion made by individuals, so it’s somewhat similar. However, I can’t say how I do it. Consider it a blind guess comes true!”
A lot of work has gone into the attempt and to make it foolproof. “I have done extensive research. For credibility, I made the prediction on Thursday at a public space – Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, where random passengers corroborate my claim of the date and time. I have my boarding pass to prove the date. And I uploaded the video the next day. You can see it on YouTube if any change is made; I will make it public only tomorrow.”
This is not the first time Arjun is making predictions. Earlier, he had predicted the FIFA World Cup winner. So, how confident is he that he’d get it right this time, too? “I hope I get it very close. These things are not gonna be perfect. I did this just to prove that I could do it. I know it’s a risky shot as no one else has done it,” he says, adding that there wouldn’t be a next time. “This would be my first and final political business.”
After this, Arjun would continue with his shows. He has also plans to bring out a web series for which the scripting is on. “Through the series, I want to get into social psychology as well as performance. I want to use it as a platform to educate people. It will be a fun series involving people and psychological concepts that affect their daily life. For instance, you don’t lend `40,000 to a man who approaches you, but when he does next time, asking for `400, you gladly lend it because you are wired to think that he has made a concession and it’s okay to give that money. This is how cons happen. And no, I am not training people to be conmen. I help them take precautions and to learn to differentiate between conmen and others,” says Arjun, who hopes to start an animal shelter in Kochi soon.
Three years into professional mentalism, Arjun is glad about the progress he has made. “My family is happy and I am excited. People love my shows. I keep getting calls and messages to know the election results beforehand. My friends are annoyed that I don’t tell even them what I predicted,” he laughs.
As he winds up, his phone buzzes again. Excitement about the people’s mandate is so high in the air.
