‘‘My Job is Simply to Make You Laugh”: Vir Das

Cosmo: Your Netflix special, Vir Das: For India, was been nominated for the Emmys...how did that feel?
Vir Das: “Surreal! This Netflix special featured a blue door and a guy with a mic...it was a one-man show. But to be nominated alongside shows that probably had a budget of a couple of crores—whereas our blue door cost just `10,000—was really a blessing!” [Laughs]

C: What made you pursue comedy, full-time?
VD: “While studying at Knox College, Illinois, I had performed in over 40 plays. But I craved for something more organic, more rebellious... So I wrote a script for a stand-up comedy show in my 
final year—everyone loved it, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, too. After you get a taste of that, it is very hard to do anything else.” 

C: Did you ever think that you’d make it as a mainstream comedian?
VD: “I am often asked if I thought it through, but the truth is, I didn’t. I do not think that much. I showed up in Mumbai with a suitcase, just like many other people do. I am from Noida [Uttar Pradesh], and the fact that I get to be a part of something as big as this is amazing in itself.”

C: What is that one joke that never fails to make people laugh?
VD: “Good lord, I can’t do that! It changes every year, because the jokes that I made last year don’t seem funny anymore, and I know I will dislike jokes that I made this year, next year. I write a thousand jokes in a year, and oftentimes, I forget. Like right now, I don’t remember the jokes that I was working on six months ago.” 

C: Do you still experience stage fright?
VD: “I am afraid every time I go up on stage. If you don’t feel like throwing up, or it isn’t scary enough, then something is missing. You definitely need that nervous energy before performing, and I counter mine with humility. I think of my parents before going up on stage, and I do not focus on the white noise like my name on the posters or my name being screamed by the audience. Because all that matters at the end of the day is that I am their son.”

C: Are there any challenges that comedians face often in the country?
VD: “Comedians face challenges everywhere. For me, the challenge is that everything is constantly changing and it’s changing so fast. How do you write a new joke?
Our attention span changes every minute as news keeps getting updated constantly. How do I keep writing jokes to keep up with it? It doesn’t matter if I am at Madison Square Garden [in New York] or at your dining table, the expectation is the same from a comedian, whether big or small. People want me to make them laugh and make them feel good.”

C: What are your thoughts about the comedy scene in India right now?
VD: “I think it’s great. I have never seen more comedians in our country than there are currently. But, I do hope to see more comedy clubs because there are not a lot of places where new comics can peform. For instance, there is a comedian performing at a 30-seater venue, but they’ll likely have to wait for another five years to be able to perform at a bigger venue. So there is a certainly gap that needs to be filled.”

C: Do you think comedians are constantly competing for the top spot?
VD: “The good thing about comedy is that one has time. It is not like being an actor, who has to worry about his six packs fading after a certain time. The best comedians in the industry have been in the business for over 30 years, and that is when you are really at the peak of your power. I am just 13 years in and I’m still figuring this stuff out, but I know I have time.”

C: Your monologue I Come From Two Indias received a lot of flak...
VD: “My job is simply to make people laugh... I will do anything to make them feel good, and once I am done, I just think about the next time I can make them laugh.” 

C: Where do you get your inspiration from? 
VD: “It is all about authenticity. I believe that my jokes should make me laugh, and then, hopefully, they will make you laugh as well.”     

“I showed up in Mumbai with a suitcase, just like many other people do.”

Image Credits: Jesse DeFlorio