Most comedians go through phases: as an amateur would poke fun at cricket, politics and Bollywood, then graduate to subjects of personal interest before, finally, taking a shot at facing his or her own fears.
This has been actor-comedian Vir Das’s journey too.
In his latest outing, Unbelievable! , which kicks off in the city this weekend, Das intends to see the lighter side of the scariest moments of his life. And it’s not the paranormal that gives him nightmares. “Your first kiss, losing your virginity, getting married, getting arrested, getting fired, doing drugs, and meeting different kinds of people, are some of the things I’m going to be talking about.”
Das has completed a decade in the business of making people laugh. His first two shows, Battle of Da Sexes and The History of India: VIRitten , were sell-outs. “My previous tour was the largest-ever by an English comedian in the country. We completed 17 shows in 30 days,” he says. “This time around, I was keen on only four cities. But since we sold those shows out within 72 hours, we decided to increase the number of shows to 12.”
After Mumbai, Unbelievable! will travel to , Bengaluru, Kochi, Delhi, Vadodara, Surat, Ahmedabad and Kolkata.
Comedy as an art form, Das says, is in a good space and its popularity is growing. The pan-India Pajama festival, hosted by Das’s Weirdass Comedy, saw a 300 per cent rise in footfall in just one year. “This is great escalation; the market is ripe.” However, he admits, “Domestic talent is limited and over-exposed. Performing regularly at clubs and posting viral content on YouTube makes people get used to artistes.” Last year, the Pajama festival saw close to 75 per cent of the Indian acts being replaced by international comedians. “There’s a constant need to innovate at a fast pace. But, I believe this is a healthy sign for comedy.”
International shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live! , The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon , The Graham Norton Show and Last Week Tonightwith John Oliver have inspired local talent. In India, EIC Outrage , The Week That Wasn’t , On Air With AIB have mushroomed, but aren’t yet the toast of the masses. This, Das says, is because television in India is still largely a Hindi medium. “Honestly speaking, Kapil Sharma owns this space. Celebrities actually pay him so that they can appear on his show. There isn’t much one can do to change that fact.”
Talking of controversies over censorship and freedom of speech, Das thinks that a joke should only be classified as funny or not. Tanmay Bhatt crops up. “Every comedian has to exercise his or her own moral compass. I’m conscious of my social media following, conscious of where I am, and that affects the kind of jokes I write,” he says. “I won’t defend a particular joke but I’ll defend your right to crack any joke. Honestly, if one is offended, then that’s their problem. Offense is meant to be taken; it doesn’t mean you have to give something back in return.” Das believes the worst thing that can happen to a comedian is that people don’t laugh at their jokes: “That’s punishment enough.” The conversation steers to Udta Punjab and it’s battle with the Censor Board. “Such extreme censorships lead to necessary corrections in the market that can possibly set a precedent. I am a fan of such corrections. Personally, I don’t believe in censorship. If there is something funny, I’m going to say it, and if it’s not funny, the audience will make me realise that very quickly.”
While he his busy with his comedy, Das also has his hands full with a clutch of movies. “Currently, while I’m prepping for Unbelievable! , I’m also working on Khanna Patel with Rishi Kapoor and Paresh Rawal. Then there’s Ajay Devgn’s directorial venture Shivaay , and also 1984, a drama.” Right now, he’s pretty content straddling different arenas in the entertainment world. “At the end of the day, whether I make movies, make music, or do stand-up, they’re all professions that increase the fan base,” he says. “It’s nice to be able to go on a film set and say that I bring along with me a loyal stand-up comedy fan base. And it’s also nice to be able to do a film that increases your stand-up comedy audience.”
Unbelievable!will be staged this evening at Tata Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point, at 7 p.m. Tickets are priced between Rs. 800 and Rs. 2,500.
