PHOTOS BY CANON POWERSHOT SX 720 HS
6 June 2019
The “grand master of illusions”, Mahdi Moudini received his eighth
Merlin Awards as "Hollywood Star Illusionist 2019"
at The Social, Publika on 6 June 2019. Mahdi Moammer, more popularly known as Mahdi Moudini, is
indeed Malaysia’s answer to David Copperfield.
These prestigious awards
are given to Mahdi because of his outstanding consistent contribution to
entertainment industry of Malaysia since 1998. He appeared in countless
occasions rising fund for charities around the country making him the “Malaysia
Most Impactful Celebrity” at 2016.
One of which is for his contributions
towards promoting Malaysia all these years. His quick hands and skilful moves
has memorised most of royalties and prominent figures including Yang di-Pertuan
Agong and honourable Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Dato
Sri Najib Tun Razak, Tan Sri Muhyddin Yassin, as well as many international
dignitaries like the King of Swaziland.
Mahdi was supposed to
receive the award in Los Angles, but because of his nationality and political barriers,
he was unable to travel to USA. In fact, Donald
J Trump, the president of USA, has specifically banned Iranian to enter
USA.
Therefore, the President of the International Magicians Society (IMS),Mr.Tony
Hassini, has decided to appreciate Mahdi contribution to magician societies
around the world by coming over to Kuala Lumpur for award ceremony.
Mahdi has been picked eight times in a row to receive
the most prestigious global magical award “Merlin”. The Merlin award for
magicians is the equal to the Oscar for movies, the Emmy for television and the
Tony for theatre. Mahdi ‘s award was namely:
“Best Iranian Stage Magician” 2012,
“Most
Extreme Magician Worldwide” 2013,
“Best
Illusionist in Malaysia” 2014,
“Best
Show Producer” 2015,
“Celebrity
Magician of the Year” 2016,
“Magician
of the Year” 2017,
“Illusionist
of the Year” 2018,
And once again Mahdi is
going to break the international record of receiving Merlin award LIVE at Kuala
Lumpur in 6 June 2019. He will be bestowed at a grand ceremony as “Hollywood Star Illusionist”. Awards
will be presented by Mr.Tony Hassini, the President of the International
Magicians Society (IMS).
Mahdi previously has been honoured with Degree of
Doctor of Magic from IMS and Grand Master Illusionist of 2019 by McMillan Woods
Global.
“Mahdi is extremely gifted
magician and very disciplined. His hands are fast, skilful and he is truly a
showman” said Tony, who is IMS president with 41,000 members. IMS founded at
1968 and listed in the Guinness World Records as The World’s Largest Magic
Society.
Other fellow magician luminaries who have been awarded
similar recognitions in the past were David Copperfield, Criss Angel, Siegfried
& Roy, Pen & Teller, Tabary, Jeff McBride, Rocco and Bill Malone.
Mahdi has performed around the globe in various public
and private occasions and celebration. One to mention is birthday celebration
of his majesty the King Mswati III, The King of Swaziland celebrating back in
24 April 2014.
The king has personally invited
Mahdi as he was fascinated before by his performance in Langkawi the previous
year. The ceremony was attended by over 20 world leaders.
Mahdi hails from a family
of renowned magicians and a third generation Master Magician. The 40-year-old
talented magician studied magic under the tutelage of his grandfather, Abraham and father, Ishmael, who were both leading
magicians in Persia. He began performing magic when he was only 5 years old,
holding shows in his home city of Karaj.
Mahdi was born and raised in the city
of Tehran in Iran. He started his love affair with magic at very young and
built up an impressive repertoire over 35 years while travelling the globe and
showing off his skills.
At 18, he made the bold
move of settling in Kuala Lumpur as the political situation in Tehran
prohibited him in performing live stage magic. He is currently performing
extensively in Malaysia, South-east Asia and worldwide.
Since then, Mahdi
has taken the country by storm and his talents have gone beyond our wildest
imagination. This multitalented showman’s performances include everything from
intimate close-up magic to dazzling stage illusions.
He is flawlessly adept,
and his hands move so swiftly and he has also adopted a certain style when he
performs the amazing tricks with coins, tissues, flowers, strings, and ropes.
No surprise, this talented magician’s hands are insured for a hefty sum!
Mahdi’s signature magic
feats include The Back to Life and The Escape. Mahdi’s skill with ropes,
knives, and levitation is attracted mass of crowd to his YouTube channel.
Millions viewed and enjoyed his extremely popular shows namely Lion Dance,
Blindfold Driving and Free Fly at Japanese Cemetery.
Mahdi does about 250 corporate, charity and private shows a year,
and sometimes up to three shows in a single day. His guests include royalty,
dignitaries, corporate VIPs and very single person.
Staying true to the
unspoken code of magicians, Mahdi never reveals his magic to the everyday man. “You
have to keep the secret to preserve the mystery of the profession. If you reveal the
secret, the magic is ‘killed’ and there is no fun,” he said. According to
Mahdi, it is important for a magician to be well versed in his trade, and to own a style that
is distinct to his or her personality.“
To stay ahead and excel in this line, a
magician has to practice a lot. Some of the invaluable tricks and ideas might
be simple but they can be applied in many other ways. A really good magician
has to put in at least 18 hours of practice a day and exercise regularly,” said
Mahdi.
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