An act like The Great Fire Escape should not be performed by someone not totally into the profession of magic, AND not physically fit. Mohanlal Sir's determination was immensely appreciable, but not practical. Unless he was doing the SISSY( according to me) version of this act in which the magician exits the box BEFORE the box even touches the structure that is finally put on fire, it was risky.
These comments come from someone who has performed The Great Fire Escape(aka the burning illusion??) NINE times and in more riskier and grander manner than anyone else. So these are not my opinions, these are my experiences speaking.
In my view, Mohanlal sir owes a "thanks" to Samraj Sir( whose show is the only magic show I like apart from that of Mitra Sir). If the reader still wants to know why I think that, kindly go back to the top of this post and see the scanned image from TIMES OF INDIA of 29th December, 2000. And that this unfortunate accident happened not only in Kerala, but right at Thiruvananthapuram, is an amazing coincidence. And this accident happened despite the deceased being a Magician himself. If something like this can happen to a Magician himself, I wonder how much chances were in Mohanlal sir's favor of succeeding.
I also noticed how Mohanlal sir's mother was used in the whole episode. One day the papers were given her statement that she is confident of her son's success and she's at peace regarding the same. Next day, when the act was cancelled due to Samraj Sir's supporters, she was used by the same papers as a scapegoat and quoted Mohanlal sir's close associate as saying "Lal sir knew that his mother was in a DEEP STATE OF PANIC." To what depths some people are prepared to stoop for a little publicity! Using someone's mother in the dirty manipulations is beyond my imagination! And the publicity this institute would have got, was not as a great magic performer, but as a Great Convention Manager! Not surprising, given that most magicians in India treat Magic as their SECONDARY SOURCE of income. What we have here is just an addition to that large number of people.
I salute Samraj sir, not only for removing any potential threat to Mohanlal Sir's life, but also for saving the Modesty of Professional Magic. We magicians are under an oath of secrecy. To make outsiders a party to our secrets which have been created and cultivated by Greats like Harry Houdini and others, is cheap behaviour. Samraj sir's stand is not(as some people are trying to make others believe) out of Jealousy, but out of genuine concern for Magic Profession's ethics and Code of Conduct as a whole. With this incident, Samraj sir has become an Idol to the Magicians of India. Great going Samraj Sir!
