Award all smoke and mirrors?

Want to know how you can make magicians disappear?

Just win an international award for magic and watch peer approval vanish.

That's what happened to Mr S Chandran, self-professed magician extraordinaire.

In a business where everyone wants to be the one, Mr Chandran bagged the Merlin Award from the International Magicians Society (IMS).

It is an international recognition for excellence in their field and the 33-year-old is the latest local magician to win.

IMS founder and president Tony Hassini flew into Singapore to present Mr Chandran the award last Sunday.

Mr Chandran was named Best Variety Entertainer, a title created just for him.

He said he carved out a niche for himself in the industry by having an assortment of characters in his performances.

"Customers have a lot of choice with so many of my characters," he said, adding, "I don't think I have any competitors in this aspect."

And judging by the reaction to him winning the award, not many friends in the industry either.

Created in 1968, the award is not without controversy.

Titles have been created in a seemingly ad-hoc basis and, some years, the Best Magician award is given to more than one person.

There are a number of ways one can win the award.

According to the IMS website, recipients can pay to attend an award dinner in the US after getting voted in. In other instances, IMS will fly to meet the magicians to hand them the award.

And the recipient picks up the tab for the trip, which was the case with Mr Chandran.

He claimed he had sent US$2,500 (about $3,000) to cover the airfare and accommodation for Mr Hassini to be here.

'I didn't buy award'

Is the award a mere illusion since you have to pay to receive it?

"After you deduct the cost of the flight tickets and lodging, there's only a few hundred left over as the actual fee for the award. I didn't buy this award," Mr Chandran said.

Replying to queries from The New Paper, New York-based IMS said that some recipients pay for "travel and lodging expenses" for Mr Hassini to travel to the recipient's home country and present the award to them.

Mr Max Toth, chairman of the IMS Merlin Award Committee, said in an e-mail: "This does not mean that the award recipients are paying for the award."

President of Singapore's IMS branch Bob Chua, 68, was given the Merlin Award in 2001 for the best close-up magic.

He said: "I didn't pay anything for my award. I think an award should be given free for your achievements in magic, otherwise there's no point."

Mr Chua had been invited to fly to Hong Kong to receive it, but he could not make it and picked it up only a year later.

In 2009, Magic Babe Ning, 30, an illusionist and escape artist, received the Merlin Award, along with her partner JC Sum.

"It seems that much more of these awards have been given out in recent years and I'm not so sure why," she said.

Others who have received the Merlin Award include US illusionist David Copperfield, Liu Qian, from Taiwan, and local magician Jeremy Tan.

Mr Chandran is not prepared to step out of the limelight.

He said he deserves the award because he does not know of any other magicians who have as many characters as him.

He said: "Tony Hassini was watching (my videos) on Facebook and recognised how many shows I do and how many characters I have brought to the magic industry.

"And this is only the start. In July, I'm going for a Guinness world record at Singapore Expo. I can't reveal what it's for, but it's related to my Merlin Award," he added.

Many tricks up his sleeve

Mr S Chandran said his show is unique because of the many characters in his acts.

"If I'm doing a show for children I have to act more childlike, and if I'm doing something for adults I have to be a cool hunk. My flair will be different," he said.

Tricky 'd' Freaky is one of his most popular characters.

For the role, he dresses up in a purple and green outfit with a magician's coat and large top hat.

Most costumes feature "gimmicks" for his magic tricks, such as the fake pockets in his coat and secret compartments in his hat.

He is assisted on stage by his wife, Sahtyah, 26.

Mr Chandran is also known for using parrots in his shows.

"Most magicians use doves, which are tamer and easier to control. But I have over 10 parrots which help me pick cards and are very popular with audiences," he said.

This article was published on April 10 in The New Paper.

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