Clowning glory: Clowns to take over Mumbai mall this weekend

Clowns entertaining crowds at an earlier edition of the International Clown Festival. Pic/Sayed Sameer Abedi

Coulrophobia - the fear of clowns - might sound like a joke, but for some, a brush with a clown can be truly unpleasant. However, if you're not among this number, you can watch these figures of innocent fun at their best this Saturday as part of the International Clown Festival.

Martin D'Souza aka Flubber

The theme for the fifth edition is ‘Clowns that ran away from the circus.' India's very own Martin D'Souza, who professionally plays the clown Flubber, says, "This time's theme is a tribute to one of the oldest forms of entertainment, the circus. Often, you hear about youngsters running away to join the circus. Here, there is a twist. We have a bunch of clowns who ran away from the circus instead."

D'Souza, who is the Vice President of the World Clown Association and the producer of the International Clown Festival, will be joined by four of his friends - Sparky, Timmyto, Benji and Maggie - and together, they will entertain the crowd with circus-related acts like magic, unicycling, juggling and more, all infused with their special brand of slapstick humour.

How seriously is clowning taken in India? D'Souza says, "In the international arena, clowning is a very advanced art form. It requires a high level of skill and interaction to be a good clown. You will find clowns in various spheres, be it theatre, hospitals (to interact with patients), imparting social messages about fire safety and bullying in schools, and, of course, birthday parties. If utilised the right way, this form of art has a bright future in India."

On: October 8, 4 pm onwards
At: High Street Phoenix, Lower Parel