When magic casts a spell: Mentalist Arun Loganathan shares his journey

CHENNAI: It was a typical summer afternoon. The cicadas and crickets basked in the sun occasionally buzzing. And the neighbourhood kids gathered to play cricket and a game of catch before returning to their homes for lunch. While the sound of their shouting and laughter irritated many people trying to nap, young Arun who was glued to the TV watching David Copperfield’s magic show, remained unfazed. The spell of magic had been cast on him.

Arun Loganathan, a mentalist and illusionist from Chennai, began his journey into the world of magic and mentalism on a whim of wanting to be different. Today the mentalist, who goes by the moniker ATM, holds several records and accolades while setting a new record in the Asian Book of Records for reading 75 minds in 30 minutes.

Speaking to DT Next about the latest record, he says, “More than anything I feel relieved to have done it. Mentally, I had set a target of 120 people but that did not pan out. This record makes me want to push my horizons and see how far I can go. I’m always thinking, ‘What next?’. I have the need to keep going and explore different niches.”

Starting off as a magician, he learnt from his mentor Vadivel Pillai in 1998. He then went on to pursue MBA in Singapore and also holds a degree in law. “I knew law wasn’t for me when I started coming up with different ways to produce witnesses in court with magic tricks,” he laughs.

After training and learning tricks as a magician, he became a certified mentalist and hypnotherapist. He also explored the art form as an escape artist and illusionist. Arun believes his art makes him socially responsible and should utilise every opportunity he gets to spread awareness on important issues. In 2007, he was the first person in India to perform a suspended strait jacket escape for an AIDS campaign.

He also rode a bike blindfolded to raise funds for Tsunami victims and as a part of other awareness campaigns. “When the pandemic hit, I took my shows online. It was a trying time for everybody and industries took a hit. While everyone saw this as a loss, I made use of this opportunity and learnt more interesting things and curated shows. This opened up venues for me and now I teach people nationally and overseas,” he adds.

What’s next for this mentalist? He laughs, “With time I feel more socially responsible and I will continue working towards making the world a better place with my art. There’s a show we’ve been working on which will be all about my journey. I’m excited about that.”