Sahil Samlal blends engineering with the performing arts

SAHIL Samlal, a 23-year-old final-year mechanical engineering student at the University of Cape Town, is not just another face in the crowd of aspiring engineers. Born and raised in Pietermaritzburg, this young talent has embarked on a journey that intertwines his passion for the performing arts with a solid academic foundation. 

Since moving to Cape Town in 2011, Samlal has been making strides in theatre and magic, carving a unique identity that encapsulates his diverse interests. 

He recently starred in the stage production Letters of Suresh and Why Magic! as part of the inaugural Red Mango Arts Festival at Sastri College in Durban. 

Letters for Suresh, by playwright Rajiv Joseph, was staged at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Culture Centre in India and debuted in South Africa during the festival. 

Samlal's early fascination with acting started at age 11, nurtured by his drama coach who introduced him to dramatised speech via a poetry book. His debut on stage came soon after during a school production at Curro Century City, where he played a pivotal role in Fergus, a tale centered around Shrek's lost son.

Fast forward to his most recent performance in Ticket to Bollywood at the Sibaya Casino, Samlal played the lead in the musical celebrating the diverse tapestry of Indian cinema. However, it is not just acting that captivates his artistic spirit. He is also a skilled magician, specialising in sleight of hand.

"Sleight of hand means I specialise in misdirection, or direction, spreading wonder to people by the use of mentalism, card magic and sleight of mouth too. I was inspired by many magicians, but more specifically, one of the greatest sleight of hand artists ever, David Blaine." 

Samlal said he viewed magic as a gateway to explore the marvels of the universe. 

"I was always fascinated about how magical the world was around me. It’s incredible how there is still so much we don’t know. Magic provides me with a medium to show people that some things are beyond explaining, but are still possible, like a shooting star or the hundreds of galaxies in our universe. There are so many magic books, card magic is the oldest documented piece of all time, so I intend on learning these ancient secrets and putting a modern soup on it," said Samlal.  

Sahil’s unique relationship with numbers and engineering is equally profound. 

"I chose this field for the same reason I do magic. A quote I was told on the first day was 'all models are wrong, some are useful', which is to say we can never get anything to be 100% accurate, but that’s not the point of life. It’s to extract as much information and live life with all the tools that we have. 

"With mechanical engineering, I can create models of the world around me, help people, fix things, and create systems that affect and better society. With the technical knowledge of engineering and the social knowledge of a magician, I am equipped to help the world in the best way I can."

Visit his Instagram page: @secrets.magic.shail 

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