GUWAHATI: Rohan Kumar Das, popularly known as Nix ‘The Mystery Entertainer’, is a well-known magician and mentalist from Guwahati. He is also a businessman, theatre actor and director par excellence.
Born and brought up in Guwahati, Rohan pursued education from Don Bosco School, Pan Bazaar from where he passed matriculation. He then moved to Delhi where he took admission in Kulachi Hansraj Model School in the commerce stream. But due to certain circumstances, he had to quit in the middle of class 11 and come back to his hometown. Here, he completed his education from Hindustan Kendriya Vidyalaya.
To pursue higher education, Rohan moved to Bangalore where he studied Commerce from Ballwin’s College. After graduation, he again came back to Guwahati and joined his father’s construction business.
Rohan, however, informed G Plus that he desired to become a movie director after graduation.
“I watched a lot of movies when I was young, still do. I used to dream of making my own films so when my father asked me what I wanted to do after graduation; I told him I wanted to make my own films. But, he strictly disagreed because I lacked vision and I had no idea how to go about it. Today, after all these years, I’m glad that he didn’t agree back then,” said Rohan.
While he worked with his father for over a decade, he simultaneously also opened his own business – Baker’s Treat, a coffee shop with a video parlour called Video Options that opened with a collection of over 400 movies in CD format. Although the video section was flourishing when it opened, it saw a bane as soon as the internet era began in 2010. Soon, Rohan shut it down with a collection of over 7,000 movies. The retail unit of Baker’s Treat too shut down in 2014, followed by its wholesale section in 2017 so that Rohan could focus on the field of entertainment.
Rohan, who’s been practicing and performing magic since he was a young boy studying in class 4. No matter what phase of life he’s in, magic has always been a part of it. Rohan has performed magic in hundreds of corporate events and club shows including the Brahmaputra Valley Film Festival, Guwahati Food Awards and the rewards and recognition shows of corporations like HDFC Bank and Yes Bank to name a few.
A common thread that runs through all of Nix's performances, be it on-stage or up-close, is the way he engages the viewers with brilliant storytelling and acting, owing largely to his interest in theatre and movies. This, together with the appropriate background music on stage creates an atmosphere of mystery and anticipation with just the right amount of wit and humour thrown in, to integrate a series of flawless performances into one cohesive experience that is thoroughly entertaining.
After years of being involved in his father’s business and performing magic, Rohan’s passion for films led to him performing in his first play ‘Plot for Murder’ in 2012, kick starting a career in the theatre and entertainment industry.
Speaking to G Plus about the experience of working in ‘Plot for Murder’, Rohan said, “It was a learning experience for me. Not only did I get introduced to the field of acting and directing, it also boosted my confidence and helped me understand the importance of preparation.”
After a positive reception to his role of a detective, Rohan went on to direct his first play ‘Art for Art’s Sake’ after which his career just took off. He went on to direct two more plays ‘Murder Game’ and ‘Pay Off’. Additionally, he started making short films. So far, Rohan has directed three short films – ‘Alcoholics Anonymous Anyone’, Objects in the Mirror’ and ‘Whole in One’ which got released on October 31.
Giving a brief description of his latest short film ‘Whole in One’, Rohan told G Plus, “It’s the story of a fight between two friends gone wrong, leading to a plot of deceit and deception. The film has been shot entirely on a phone and in a budget of merely Rs 15,000.”
A multi-faceted personality and a single father to Riyan, Rohan believes that “a pat on the back is more important than a buck in the wallet” because that’s what stays forever. He’s currently working on an upcoming play ‘True and False’ to be staged next month.
