Gopinath Muthukad (born 10 April 1964) is an Indian magician and

motivational speaker A motivational speaker (or inspirational speaker) is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. Such speakers may attempt to challenge or transform their audiences. The speech itself is popularly known as a pep ta ...

from

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

. He employs magic as a medium to convey his messages to public. Muthukad founded the world's first magic academy, The Academy of Magical Sciences, and first magic museum, Magic Planet at

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...

. In 1995, he became the first magician in the world to perform an escape act in the style of

Harry Houdini Erik Weisz (March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926), known professionally as Harry Houdini ( ), was a Hungarian-American escapologist, illusionist, and stunt performer noted for his escape acts. Houdini first attracted notice in vaudeville in ...

's act of 1904. In the same year, he was awarded the

Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi award Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award is an award given by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, an autonomous organisation for the encouragement, preservation, and documentation of the performing arts of Kerala, set up by the Department of Cultu ...

. Muthukad is the winner of the International Merlin Award instituted by the International Magicians' Society. Muthukad is the first Keralite to be honoured as the celebrity supporter by the UN agency

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

, for promoting child right activities in Kerala. In 2021, Muthukad has announced his retirement from professional magic shows and now he has focused his area of work mainly on empowering the marginalized differently-abled community. In 2022, he was honoured with Kerala Sree Award, third highest civilian award given by the

Government of Kerala The Government of Kerala (abbreviated as GoK), also known as the Kerala Government, is the administrative body responsible for governing the Indian States and territories of India, state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who ...

Early life

Muthukad was born on 10 April 1964 in Kavalamukkatta, a small village near

Nilambur Nilambur () is a major town, a municipality and a Taluk in the Malappuram district of the Indian state of Kerala. It is located close to the Nilgiri Mountains, Nilgiris range of the Western Ghats on the banks of the Chaliyar River. This place is ...

to Kunhunni Nair and Devaki Amma. Even at an early age, he showed a great interest in magic having heard stories about Vazhakkunnam who was one of the great magicians in

. At the age of 10, he was caught performing magic in class by a teacher who then encouraged him to hold his first show at his school. Muthukad says this was the turning point in his life. Over the years his determination to pursue magic as a career grew stronger despite stiff opposition from his father. After graduating in mathematics from N. S. S. College, Manjeri he joined Law College,

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

but later dropped out and left his Nilambur home for

to pursue his passion in magic. Although his early years as a magician were full of struggles, he began to be noticed for his unique styles of presenting magic. He has appeared in more than 10,000 stages in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and abroad, and has given a new vision and mission to the art of magic.

Endeavors

Magic Academy

The Academy of Magical Sciences, popularly known as Magic Academy, was established in the year 1996, in

, Kerala. The founder patron was Late

Malayattoor Ramakrishnan K. V. Ramakrishna Iyer, better known by his pen name, Malayattoor Ramakrishnan (27 May 1927 – 27 December 1997), was an Indian writer of Malayalam literature, cartoonist, lawyer, Magistrate, judicial magistrate, and Indian Administrative Servi ...

and after it was late

Jnanpith The Jnanpith Award is the oldest and the highest Indian literary award presented annually by the Bharatiya Jnanpith to an author for their "outstanding contribution towards literature". Instituted in 1961, the award is bestowed only on Indian w ...

awardee

O. N. V. Kurup Ottaplakkal Neelakandan Velu Kurup (known as O. N. V. Kurup; 27 May 1931 – 13 February 2016) was a Malayalam poet and lyricist from Kerala, India, who won the Jnanpith Award, the highest literary award in India for the year 2007. He received ...

. And now the torch of leadership is handled by acclaimed film director, Shri.

Adoor Gopalakrishnan Adoor Gopalakrishnan (born 3 July 1941) is an Indian film director, script writer, and producer and is regarded as one of the most notable and renowned filmmakers in India. With the release of his first feature film '' Swayamvaram'' (1972), G ...

. It was established under the Cultural and Charitable Institutions Act, to uplift and promote the art of magic and to spread the message against all kinds of irrational beliefs, superstitions, violence and other evil practices existing in our society.

National Voyages

Under the leadership of Magic Academy, Gopinath Muthukad has undertaken four national voyages from

Kanyakumari Kanyakumari (Tamil; / kəɳjɑkʊmɑɾiː/; referring to Devi Kanya Kumari, officially known as Kanniyakumari, formerly known as Cape Comorin) is a town and a municipality in Kanyakumari district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is the ...

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...

which includes Vismay Bharata Yatra (2002), Gandhi Mantra (2005), Vismay Swaraj Yatra (2007) and Mission India (2010) and many state level voyages. All these Yatras have been undertaken with the motives to foster a sense of national integration, to spread the vital messages of

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...

, communal harmony, counter the violence and terrorism existing in our nation, and spread awareness against drug abuse and alcoholism. In 2024, with the support of Govt. of India, he successfully conducted 5th national awareness voyage ‘Inclusive India’ from Kanyakumari to Kashmir to convey the message of social inclusion of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs). The team travelled through all the states of India covering more than 22,000 kms from October to December 2024.

Magic Planet

Magic Planet situated at KINFRA Film and Video Park, Kazhakkoottam, Thiruvananthapuram was established with an objective to provide a permanent rehabilitation hub for street magicians who are at the verge of complete wipe out from the main phase our society due lack of platforms to display their rare skills. Moreover it was designed to impart wonders and immense possibilities of magical art to the common public which includes the domestic tourists and foreigners visiting the state. The venture was opened to public in 2014. Currently the institution is supporting more than 200 more artistes for the daily functioning and their day today needs.

Mpower

In 2017, Magic Academy with the support of Kerala State Social Security Mission conducted ‘Anuyatra’ campaign to empower the differently abled children and bring them to the mainstream of the society. 23 selected children undergone magic training and formed a magic team named ‘MPower’. Inspired by the highly successful performance of the children, Magic Academy decided to establish a permanent performance platform for them -Mpower centre with the support of UNICEF and Kerala Social Security Mission. This centre trains and develops their talents, while ensuring life skills to make them more self-aware and confident. It is for the first time in the world, a permanent magical performance centre has been opened for the specially abled talents. Today, the centre gives training to specially abled children in a mode that they can become breadwinners for their family. Recently, the Mpower team stepped into INDIA BOOK OF RECORDS for their unique performance.

Different Art Centre

The success of Mpower paved the path in the formation of a Comprehensive Art Centre at Kazhakkuttom, Thiruvananthapuram for differently abled children to explore their artistic talents and promote the overall development of differently abled community. The centre aims to empower these children by recognizing and sharpening their raw talents through special and appropriate methods. The appreciation from the audience, reaching the centre, increases a sense of confidence and better self-awareness in all participants. The Centre was opened in 2019. Different Art Centre will act as a window of opportunity in identifying, training and refining the basic talents of differently abled children in various art forms.

UNICEF

Gopinath Muthukad has been conferred "Celebrity

Supporter" status to join the efforts of the UN agency in improving condition and status of children in the state. Muthukad is the first Keralite and the first magician to receive the honour. He was selected for his credibility and ability to communicate critical messages on child rights to a large number of people, particularly mothers, caregivers and youth. He joins hands with UNICEF to provide all children with opportunities to survive, develop and reach their full potential to the benefit of the sustained growth and stability of countries and a global standard of human rights for all.

Election Commission of India

Muthukad has been designated as State Icon for Kerala by the Election Commission of India, for his activities on creating awareness and motivating the masses to participate in the electoral process. Through his magical shows, he was able to create awareness on the importance of democracy and the need to participate in the electoral processes. He was the first Keralite selected for this honour. He worked as volunteer in the North East State of India where people is reluctant to cooperate in the election process.

Magik Homes

The MAGIK Homes Project (Making Accessible Gateways for Inclusive Kerala) is an initiative led by Gopinath Muthukad through the Different Art Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Launched in June 2024, the project aims to provide accessible, custom-built homes for individuals with disabilities from marginalized communities, addressing their specific housing needs to promote independence and inclusion. The first disability-friendly house under the MAGIK Homes Project was handed over to the family of an 11-year-old disabled child from Maukode by poet and lyricist Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri
6

Awards and achievements

Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award is an award given by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, an autonomous organisation for the encouragement, preservation, and documentation of the performing arts of Kerala, set up by the Department of Cultu ...

, 1995 *Prathibha Pranamam Honour by Kerala State Government, 2000 * Merlin Award from International Magician's Society, 2011 *Celebrity Advocate title from UNICEF for promoting child rights, 2016 *Kerala Icon by Election Commission of India, 2016 *Rashtriya Aavishkar Abhiyan Ambassador, 2016 *

Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship The Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship is an honour presented by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, an autonomous organisation for the encouragement, preservation, and documentation of the performing arts of Kerala, set up by the Depar ...

, 2018 *Leader of the 21st Century finalist by San Francisco University, 2019 *Brand Ambassador for Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, 2020 * Kerala Sree instituted by Government of Kerala, 2022 * Kunjunni Award, 2022 *State SVEEP Icon of Kerala by the Election Commission of India from 2023 & 2025

Books

* Magic: History, Basics (a book depicting the basics of the art of magic) * Vazhakunnam Stories (a book depicting the stories of the great legendary magician Vazhakkunnam who was a master to Muthukad) * Math-Magic (a book on mathematical magic) * Easy-to-do magic tricks (a book illustrating easy magic tricks for children) * Ee kadhayilumundoru Magic * Ormakalude Manthrika Sparsam (Autobiography) * Magical mist of memories (Autobiography) * India – Ente Pranaya Vismayam (Travel book) * India – My spellbound love (Travel book) * Jeevitham Oru Padhapusthakam * Magic Lamp

Television shows

Personal life

Muthukad is married to Kavitha and the couple has a son, Vismay Muthukad. He is settled with his family in

References

External links

Gopinath Muthukad Official site

Magician Muthukad performs an act of redemption after a decade

Weekly Newsletter from Magic Academy, India

International Merlin Award 2011

All about Magician Philip (student of Magician Muthukad)

Online data bank on magicians of India

Indian Magicians Web Site

Gopinath Muthukad's Page on IM

Gopinath Muthukad's Page on WoM
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muthukad, Gopinath Indian magicians Malayali people 1964 births Living people People from Malappuram district Kerala Sree Award Winners Recipients of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship Recipients of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award Artists from Kerala