"Every great magic trick consists of three parts or acts. The first part is called 'The Pledge'. The magician shows you something ordinary: a deck of cards, a bird or a man. The second act is called 'The Turn'. The magician takes the ordinary something and makes it do something extraordinary. Now you're looking for the secret...but you won't find it, because of course you're not really looking. You don't really want to know. You want to be fooled. But you wouldn't clap yet. Because making something disappear isn't enough; you have to bring it back. That's why every magic trick has a third act, the hardest part, the part we call 'The Prestige'."
- 'The Prestige'
This is a popular dialogue from the Christopher Nolan film 'The Prestige'. Michael Caine, a retired magician says these famous lines when he's teaching the art of deception, to his protégé Hugh Jackman.
But in today's release 'Raja Natwarlal', Paresh Rawal, who plays the role of the retired conman Victor Singh Khan, says these lines in a different context. The film has Emraan Hashmi in the lead and Rawal plays the role of his guru, teaching him tricks of the trade.Dressed in a shabby kurta-pyjama, sweater and a muffler, he borrows a cigarette from a nearby vendor and asks his new chela, to look at the cigarette as he makes it roll, without using his hands.
The following article may contain spoilers from 'Raja Natwarlal'. If you haven't seen the film yet, we suggest you come back to the article later.
A simple trick, which anyone over the age of 10 has done it at one time or another (though, not with a cigarette, obviously), is rendered extraordinary by Rawal's acting prowess. Dishevelled and slightly morose, Rawal is the picture of a has-been con artist, who hasn't lost his key art -- the art of deception.
"There is fun in doing both -- getting conned and conning others. In this film, I train Emraan and make him aware about this art. Conmen are artists too, you know," said Rawal in an interview to Press Trust of India.
Hopping in and out of costumes, situations and emotions, Rawal was one of the high points of the film. He portrayed the vulnerability of a man who's lost his brother, and the shrewdness of the artist who knows how to get his way eventually.
In real life, the 64-year-old industry veteran has been conned twice, but not money-wise. "One can con you in relations...con you with emotions. The best example is 'American Hustle'. It is a superb film," he said.
In one of the key scenes in the film, we see Rawal dressed in a formal outfit, ready to take part in a high-profile auction, take out a small alcohol hip flask and sprinkle it gently on his face and clothes. As he takes a small sip out of the bottle and looks at the "target" Kay Kay Menon, we understand the purpose behind his actions. He wants to give the impression of a uncouth, drunk, rich businessman.
With several critically-acclaimed films in almost all genres under his belt, we were happy (though, not surprised) to see that he could slip into the role of the slick conman with such ease.
"I liked the script and this genre of con. I am a big fan of con-films like 'Sting', 'Matchstick Men'. This genre is not an assault on your senses. It has intelligent material, there is logic and scientific way to do the con," Rawal said in the interview.
Well, whether it is the science or the art, it seems to be working perfectly for Rawal. Here's hoping we get to see more of his work in this genre.
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