The family that laughs together stays together - Madhukar Tillu would definitely endorse this view. The veteran stand-up comedian, who for the past 35 years has made people laugh through his popular shows like Prasang Lahaan, Vinod Mahaan, Hasayadaan and Zindadil Marathi Sheroshairi, has made laughter a family mission along with his son, 29-year-old Makarand. March 25 saw yet another addition to the family's laughter legacy - five-year-old Raviraj Tillu! That evening, the family magic was there for all to see at a show appropriately titled Hasyapanchami Te Hasyapasashthi, held at the Snehasadan Hall.``We are a jolly family,'' says Makarand, who is a stand-up comedian in his own right, as he explains how this particular programme came about. ``My nephew, Raviraj, has always been fond of relating funny anecdotes. So, on his fifth birthday, my father decided that instead of giving him gifts and goodies to eat, why not give him a chance to perform on stage, which will help give some kind of direction to his future. Raviraj was so happy about it that he ran to the stage ahead of us all,'' laughs Makarand.The two-and-a-half-hour programme had Raviraj, a kindergarten student, holding fort with funny poems and anecdotes about children for a full 35 minutes. The programme started with Makarand's humourous anecdotes and ended with the senior Tillu's seasoned jest.Laughter is also the factor that binds the Tillu family together. ``There is no generation gap between members of our family. In order to make others laugh, we must also be willing to be on the receiving end. We are good sports, so we do not mind being made fun of. We analyse our performance after shows and are constantly thinking of ways to improve it,'' says Madhukar.He makes a definite distinction in the kind of humour being projected through his shows. ``The humour that my performances are based on is woven on incidents and situations taken from life. It is not based on abusive language or making fun of deformities,'' he clarifies.Madhukar believes that laughter is a special boon given to humankind. ``The power of laughter to diffuse a tension-filled atmosphere has only been recently recognised, what with so many laughter clubs mushrooming all over the city.''He has his own remedy to face the grim realities of today - a foundation that will encourage humour-based activities. ``It will be called The Hasayadaan Foundation and its sole function will be to encourage humour through seminars, humour-related films and performances.'' Meanwhile, the Tillu family show will go on.
