Magician KS Ramesh who trained Amitabh Bachchan on Jaadugar: He got so fluent with the magic that he would perform tricks at parties – Exclusive | Hindi Movie News

KS Ramesh was the man who played a magician and Amala’s father in Kamal Haasan’s cult classic Pushpak. He has been working in the film industry for 40 years. He’s dabbled with jobs of being a filmmaker, actor, as well as a professional magician. Speaking to ETimes, Ramesh revealed how he got signed on for Amitabh Bachchan’s Jaadugar in 1989. He reveals, “After watching my performance in Pushpak, Amitabh Bachchan and director Prakash Mehra called me for their film Jaadugar. I choreographed the magic sequences in that film and also played a role.”

Amitabh Bachchan and Prakash Mehra’s combination was at the top actor-director jodi in those days. KS Ramesh recalls, “I was a young guy from Bangalore. I worked in Pushpak when I was 26. But I played the heroine’s father in the film. They waited for me to grow a beard so that I looked older. People liked it because it was the first time they saw an actor who could also do magic for the camera convincingly.”

He further remembers, “One day, I got a call from Prakash Mehra’s office. I knew that he was doing a big project with Amitabh Bachchan. He had an associate Ram Sethi who was also a good artist. He said, ‘We just watched Pushpak. Are you the same KS Ramesh who played that role?’ They had done some research about me in Bangalore. They asked me whether I could come to Bombay the next day and I agreed. I was over the moon because I got a call from Prakash Mehra’s office.”

Outside Bombay airport a man stood with KS Ramesh’s name on a placard and it was an all-time high for the newbie actor. Ramesh recalls, “Ram Sethi was also with him. They had seen me as an old man in Pushpak so they were waiting for an old man to walk out. They were flabbergasted when I told them that I was KS Ramesh. They told me not to talk to anyone before they introduced me.” He further adds, “Prakash Mehra got the same shock when he saw me in person. The next day, I was taken to Mr Bachchan’s house. I can never forget that moment ever in my life. Mr Bachchan, the man himself, the God, was standing in front of me. He came down in a spotless white kurta-pajama. He thought I was a fan who has accompanied Prakash Mehra. Then Prakash Mehra said, ‘KS Ramesh, Pushpak.’ Mr Bachchan said, ‘Yes, yes, nice role. Did you find him?’ Mehra said, ‘This is KS Ramesh.’ And Amitabh Bachchan’s famous laughter erupted. I think he jokingly said, ‘Get out of here. I don’t believe it.”

They had meetings and discussions over the next two weeks. Ramesh says, “People doubted whether I will be able to do it. But I used to make documentaries and ad films in those days, so I knew camera and film. I had done a couple of small films down South. Jaadugar was too big.” Before approaching Ramesh, the makers had reached out to David Copperfield in the USA. Ramesh says, “He was the biggest magician in the world. But I think the maths did not work out with him. I got to know later that they had interviewed all of the top Indian magicians as well. I think I was chosen because I told them that they should have a song in the film where I would create all the illusions and stuff.”

Eventually, Ramesh ended up training Mr Bachchan for the film. He says, “If you want to know why Mr Bachchan is Mr Bachchan then you have to talk to people like me. I worked with him for two years. He appreciated it day and night. After the film, we also did a lot of Bollywood shows with him. Teaching someone is very difficult. I was lucky that it was Amitabh Bachchan. He was a true professional. You won’t believe it, he would give me 4-5 days for rehearsals. The directors would yell at me, ‘Do you know the value of his time?”

His peers had explained to KS Ramesh that ordinarily it takes 20-30 years for an artiste to gain fame. Ramesh says, “I got that recognition within a week when Mr Bachchan raised my hand at the film’s mahurat and said, ‘He is the real Jaadugar.’ So, immediately the whole industry knew me.”

KS Ramesh remembers the challenges of shooting and composing the title track of Jaadugar. He says, “If you see the title song, it is full of illusions. Amitji had to go telephoto from one place to another and pull off other tricks like that. It was Kumar Sanu’s first playback song. It was composed by Kalyanji-Anandji. They used to get irritated by me because I would tell them that there needs to be a musical piece in this portion and that magic and illusion would require that much duration. They liked me eventually because I knew a thing or two about the technicalities of composing. I got the HMV Triple Platinum Disc for that song.”

Remembering his time training Amitabh Bachchan and spending time with the Bachchan family, Ramesh recalls, “I taught Mr Bachchan the basic tricks, ‘haath ki safaai’ as we call it. He also learned to perform the tricks at parties and all. I was very close to him. I was invited to his Holi parties for 3-4 years. I have seen Shweta and Abhishek as children. I remember seeing the fair, pretty little girl Karisma Kapoor. The kids would come to see the shooting of the magic scenes. I got to work with the legendary dance master Kamal Masterji, as well. I can never forget that.”

On a final note, KS Ramesh also reveals the story behind his casting in Pushpak. He says, “I had been hired to train Amrish Puri. I told them that an actor won’t be able to do what I am can. Then they asked me for a solution. So, I told Kamal Haasan that I’ll only do the role. He got very angry at me. Then I showed them a couple of demo performances, which convinced them.”