Exploring India’s magic tradition, Franco-Indian filmmaker Tara L. C. Sood merges performance, culture, and philosophy to reveal magic as both art and a spiritual gateway for short film The Great Mandrake. Capturing ten renowned magicians from Southern India at a staged convention in Bangalore, the film delves into the cultural history of Indian magic, rooted in centuries-old rituals, spiritual practices, and the street magicians of colonial-era Calcutta.

Accompanying the photo series of the same name, The Great Mandrake seeks to explore magic as both an art form and a philosophical concept, holding a mirror to human experience and the illusions embedded in our everyday realities.