Pourush Chandra Sorcar
| Photo Credit: Srinivasa Ramanujam
In 2017, when Pourush Chandra Sorcar (PC Sorcar Master) last performed in Chennai, the world was different. At the Krishna Gana Sabha for a performance organised by Priya Cultural, he unleashed his bag of tricks – which included pulling out pigeons from thin air and pouring water from an empty bottle – to a packed crowd that went ‘wow’ every few minutes.
With a smile on his face and an air of mystery about him, Pourush would go on to do more packed shows till 2019, touring many cities and entertaining audiences wherever he went.
And then, the pandemic hit. His family members kept falling ill, and show business went from bad to worse. His mother passed away too, and life has never been the same since. “Bad things kept happening,” he shrugs, “Suddenly, everything looked bleak. I lost a lot of my hair too! My enemies became friends, because we all knew life was fleeting.”
And the PC Sorcar legacy – Pourush is the grandson of India’s legendary magician PC Sorcar and son of Provas Chandra Sorcar – had nowhere to go.
This was also the time OTT platforms were mushrooming, in a world that was scared of venturing into cinema halls. In these platforms, Pourush saw an opportunity, something that would still take the art of magic forward to newer audiences.
Pourush Chandra Sorcar
Cut to 2024, and Pourush is ready with his pilot project, Chhoo Mantar, an hour long feature film on magic that will be out on an OTT platform soon. Based on stories from collections that his grandfather had written and the family had carefully preserved, Chhoo Mantar – and the other feature films that will follow – will revolve around the evolution of magic in India.
The film will also feature Pourush in the lead role. “It will take you to the root of magic in Indian villages, but will also have fictional elements in the storyline. It revolves around the tussle between a black magician and Sorcar. Today’s youngsters idolise superheroes. My grandfather was like a superhero himself because he revolutionised the magic industry. In the India of the past, magicians performed tricks on the streets and audiences threw coins and money, but my grandfather made it an entertainment art form and got people to buy tickets to watch him,” explains Pourush, who was recently in Chennai to discuss the release plans for Chhoo Mantar.
While Chhoo Mantar was filmed in three months, thanks to some of Pourush’s acts for the camera and some stock footage that the family had, the rest of the films will take shape based on audience’ feedback. “In my films, I want to portray things that happened in the past, because if I do not do it, I fear it will be lost forever,” says Pourush, who plans to create a magic museum in the future with the props and equipment that have been preserved since his grandfather’s time
With Chhoo Mantar and his upcoming feature films, Pourush is determined to take on the art form of magic to newer, younger audiences. He also plans to rope in popular film stars from the South and Bollywood to do cameo roles in his upcoming projects. “We wish to do a stage show soon, but considering changing public tastes, we need to adapt.” PC Sorcar Productions will go on.
