“This show is completely about the failures in my life; about how much of an idiot I have been,” says Vir Das, as we catch up with him a few minutes before his stand-up comedy show, Unbelievablish, in Coimbatore. The show strings together stories drawn from his personal life, with entertaining lies; it is left to the audience to figure out what is true and what is not.
Break-ups, first kisses, his experiences as an NRI in America… it has everything that an average Indian relates to. “My humour is observational. The stories are drawn out of personal experience. Most of them happen during conversations with my wife. You will find political jokes along with anecdotes on my first kiss, and crush,” he smiles.
The actor was in Coimbatore as a part of his all-India tour that focusses this time on the small towns of India. It has a personal agenda too, says Vir. “I have been in the stand-up comedy scene for the last one decade. And, I have sold around half a million tickets in the last three years. Now I want to round it off to a million. And that’s the reason for this tour. The idea is to explore stand-up comedy in small towns.”
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Vir’s last halt was at Jaipur where he performed to a packed hall. He shows a video of the audience giving him a standing ovation on his smart phone. Small towns have been surprising, he says.
“I never expected such a huge turnout in a place like Jaipur, and similarly, in Kochi. The response has been tremendous till now.”
And the idea is not to limit it to one show but revisit the city again, says Vir. “I am okay even with 250 people. The idea is to come back and see the number double the next time and to keep the market for stand-up comedy alive. If we limit the shows to just the metros, this is not going to happen.”
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Vir, who is now active in the film scene, was in the middle of a film shoot when the idea for this tour struck him. “The shooting had been called off. And in between, I thought why not explore the potential of the smaller metros.” It was also refreshing to get back on stage and give a break to films, he adds.
The worst nightmare of any stand-up comedian is always the idea of his jokes falling flat. But then, that is part of the game, says Vir. “I tell 350 jokes, 20 of them are bound to fall flat. No one has been insulted on my show. I have a sense of responsibility for those tickets and try to deliver my best.”
But how prepared is India for stand-up comedy theatre? Does he have hesitations about how jokes on sex and relationships would be received in small towns?
“India is a country bursting with a population count of almost a billion. And isn’t it funny we have to hush about sex? Sex, love and relationships… these are subjects any one can relate to. The purpose of this journey is to find that out.”