Vir Das To NDTV: "My Patriotism Is Like My Marriage"

NDTV

11 hours ago

In his new Netflix stand-up special Vir Das: Fool Volume, comic and actor Vir Das touches upon several themes including religion, privilege, stereotypes around English speakers, Mumbai, and patriotism.
Vir Das, the first Indian comedian to win an International Emmy for best comedy series, is often in the news for his stand-up shows and comments on hot-button issues through his social media pages. Like a true patriot, he never minces his words when it comes to highlighting what's wrong with the country or singing its paeans on celebration of national events.
Recently, Punjabi star-singer Diljit Dosanjh was called names and criticised for collaborating with Pakistani actor Hania Aamir in his latest Punjabi film Sardaar Ji 3, especially in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, 2025.
Asked whether he'd like to comment on the still raging controversy, Vir Das in an exclusive interview to NDTV said, "I'll only comment on my own patriotism. And, what I would say is my patriotism is a marriage between me and my country. Like most marriages, it is extremely private."
The comedian is returning to Netflix with his brand new stand-up special, Vir Das: Fool Volume, which drops on the streamer on July 18.
Vir Das had lost his voice six weeks before he filmed this stand-up. This hiccup forced him to redevelop the special right from scratch.
What was it like rewriting the whole set? The comic said if a person spends six weeks alone, not being able to talk, they make certain self-discoveries.
"First, you discover what a terrible person you are, just how bad your thoughts are, and those thoughts start to rise to the surface. And then you develop a deep sense of gratitude for having a voice. It (losing my voice briefly) changed my perspective a little bit on how I view stand-up...
"There's a bit in the show where I talk about how people are really just listening to the audience (reacting). They're not watching the comedian at all... The noise of the audience, their voice is far more powerful than mine," he added.
Vir Das: Fool Volume is his first rodeo since he became an International Emmy Award winner (for Vir Das: Landing) and the comedian said being "a critically acclaimed comedian" doesn't mean much to him.
"To be clear, I was humbled about it," he pointed out.
While he wouldn't want to know whether the audiences view him a bit different after he won the International Emmy, Vir Das said he sure has become more comfortable about putting himself more out there.
"... Really being free and authentic with your audience. For instance, this special was a journey. I kind of said, 'Oh, this is who I am, and this is what I've been through, and I have this relationship with the lovely audience, and I owe it to them to be the most authentic version of myself, and share this journey and try and make it funny for them and see if it means anything to them'."
He may have lost his voice before shooting for his latest stand-up special, but Vir Das has often used his voice off stage, on social media to shine a light on a series of topical issues -- be it supporting Air India following the horrifying plane crash in June or taking a dig at "film people" for expressing displeasure over influencers walking the red carpet at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
How well does he think he has used his voice in the real world?
Vir Das said, "I don't think it's for me to decide, that's for you to decide if I've used it well or if I haven't. I can say that with every passing year I've used it more honestly. Whether that has been more enjoyable or not, is ultimately your decision, not mine, but at least my pretence is shaken off. I don't have a lot of pretence (now)..."
The special marks Vir Das's fifth stand-up special for the streamer. What has made his relationship with Netflix stand the test of time?
Vir Das, on a lighter note, said, "I have some saucy photographs, and then I blackmail them once a year, and they have to give me a special every three years."
But truly, the actor-comic described his ongoing journey with Netflix as something no one expected to develop.
"We submitted Vir Das: For India for a nomination in a comedy category (at the 2021 International Emmys) and we got nominated in that. It was Netflix taking a punt in, submitting it, and then that led to something like Vir Das: Landing was such a unique special in its theme and that winning an Emmy... I don't think any of us expected these things. And what's nice about them (Netflix) is they go with where the artist is going and what their authentic experiences are."
Vir Das: Fool Volume is shot entirely by an Indian crew across three continents, something that the comedian said he is "very proud of". "An Indian crew is able to go into iconic venues across the world and shoot a special with each other. So, it is for the world, but India-made."
On the film front, Vir Das has co-directed a movie from Aamir Khan Productions named Happy Patel, in which he also stars. He has also written a book titled The Outsider : A Memoir for Misfits, set to hit the bookshelves on November 4.
"Apart from that, just general acid reflux and traffic. Yeah, that's life," he quipped.