Recently, I was scrolling through my Message Requests on Instagram. While most of them were unsolicited messages, there was one that caught my eye. It said, “I would like to introduce you to Pranav Liju. He is a 16-year-old Malayali Mentalist and Hypnotist. He is the youngest Mentalist in Asia and us one of the youngest working Mentalists in the world.”
The next moment, I found myself rummaging through his content to see if he can actually ‘read minds’. My first reaction to his collaborative videos with celebrities and influencers was a bolt from the blue. So, we had to get him on PinkLungi to understand how it all worked.
“While in the professional world, people would identify me as a Mentalist and Hypnotist, I call myself an entertainer,” shared Oman-based Pranav Liju. His journey into peering into the minds of his audience began nine years ago during a show hosted by well-known magician Gopinath Muthukad. He shared, “When he asked the audience to raise their hands if they would never smoke in their life, the 7-year-old me who had no clue about smoking lifted hands proudly. I was fascinated by the influence a famous stranger had on me. That 90-minute show changed my life, my thought process, and lead me to become the person I am today.”
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Pranav took it upon himself to learn magic. It took him around five years to ‘master’ the basics by watching YouTube tutorials and guides. In addition to the skill, he had a great understanding of how illusions can influence people’s thought-process and their idea of reality. Magic was the entry point to cracking the code of the mind.
This time around, Pranav stumbled upon mentalism, which according to him is a heightened form of magic. He calls it ‘the act of ‘pseudo-mind-reading’. During his conversation with PinkLungi, he stated that learning magic is a prerequisite to being a good mentalist. So if you wish to learn how to read minds, Pranav’s pro-tip is the way to go. He had to read books and materials online and watch videos to upgrade his magic skills to mentalism. He was even lucky to be guided by Anthony Jacquin, a famous hypnotist and hypnotherapist of over 20 years.
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Funnily enough, Pranav’s tricks don’t usually work with his parents. Even if he tries, his parents are able to predict his behaviour. Laughing at this comment, he stated, “My parents know me in and out. It becomes really hard then to trick their mind because they know what I’m about to do next. The same goes with my brother too as he’s my guinea pig. He bears the brunt of all my new tricks. I’m super glad to have him as my sidekick.”
He commented, “I am definitely going to pursue Psychology. I need not even say why. People are shocked when I read their minds. What they fail to understand is that I’m basically reading their body language, figuring out their wave graph and suggestibility range (the chances of you going into a trance). It all boils down to recognizsng behaviours and body language cues. Learning Psychology would only enhance the current skill set that I have.”
There is a scope of tactics to invoke mental influence. It comes with years of practice and patience. Attending a magic show at a young age became his calling or as many would call, enlightenment. Pranav, with the support of his family, has made it his life goal to be the best mentalist and hypnotist in the world. We hope the best for him!
If you want to snag a one-on-one consultation, just slide through his DM and he’d be more than happy to give you a gala time.
