Mohanlal praised for withdrawing from 'fire escape' act

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 19 (IANS) Magician Jadugar Anand Friday said it was good that Malayalam superstar Mohanlal had decided not to perform the 'fire escape' act as it involved a great deal of risk.

Anand said that the risk associated with performing the act was not advisable for a person like Mohanlal who is loved and adored by millions.

'My 29-year-old son Akash is performing this act Sunday here. Only when you see it will you realise how dangerous it is. It is good for Mohanlal to take risk in his work, but not in such a dangerous act. I'm happy he cancelled it after pressure from his fans,' Anand told reporters here.

In April, Mohanlal agreed to do the 'fire escape' and trained for 18 months under Gopinath Muthukad, the head of the Magic Academy here.

But another magician Samrat went on a hunger strike to dissuade Mohanlal from performing the act. He was joined by fans of the superstar who urged him to pull back.

Mohanlal finally did that when his mother made the same request.

Anand's son will also perform the 'underwater escape'. For this, he will be chained and packed in a box that would be thrown into the sea. Last year he performed the same act in Hyderabad.

'Last year he came out of the box in just 15 seconds after it was thrown into a river in Hyderabad,' said Anand.