
Vir Das says his journey is different from Zakir Khan or Kapil Sharma: ‘One is steeped in poetry, the other's a Punjabi everyman; I'm from nowhere'
Did you go into Fool Volume with the baggage of an International Emmy Award?
The opening line of this special is, 'I won an Emmy and that means very little.' It's Kryptonite in certain situations. I don't take that seriously at all. The Emmy is in a cupboard right now with my garam kapda, with my wife's sweaters, some boots, and down jackets.
You performed across three cities — Mumbai, London, and New York — for the same stand-up special. Did you change your set according to the setting?
It was like making a movie. Mumbai was unrehearsed because my voice came back two days before the show. Usually, when you shoot a stand-up special, you've done 180 trial shows and you know every punchline. I rewrote this show entirely in my mind in silence within six weeks. And then we went up and shot it with 17 cameras virtually unrehearsed. But there's a nice raw energy to the Mumbai show.
In London, we did the show at this beautiful church. The more outward-looking portions of the show, where you're talking about racism or the world at large, they're set in London. I wanted to use London as the soapbox to talk to the world. And then, in a documentary, there's a talking head which becomes the voice of the special. New York was that. It's like you saw these two wonderful presentations and then the comedian walked into the basement to tell you the truth about them. In that sense, I know it's asking a bit more from the audience. A normal stand-up special has lights, smoke, aaya, joke sunaya, gaya. But here, I'm asking you to travel through time and nations. At some level, we wanted to show that Indian comedians can write for the world as well.
Do the audiences in these three cities respond differently to comedy?
I think they're pretty similar. In London or New York, 50-70% of the audience is local. So I have to explain certain things to them. But the Indian audience is very patient. They're like, 'Mujhe bhi dekhna hai kaise samjhata hai.' There's a moment where I explain a gaali to the people at the cellar. You should look at the Indian audience's faces — how will he make our 500-year-old gaali palatable to these guys. For them, it's a test I have to pass. But largely, if you're the loser in the story, that's funny and relatable to everybody.
In the special, you talk about the local discrimination against being an English-speaking comedian in India. Have you ever grappled with the fact that you may win all the Emmys, perform all these Netflix stand-up specials and gain global recognition, but you won't win the core audience in a way that a Zakir Khan or a Kapil Sharma does?
No, perhaps my journey is to have deeper interactions with a smaller group of people over a longer period of time. To do what both of them do, which is masterful in their own way, you have to be where they're from and have their own lived-in experiences. You can see Zakir grew up in classical music and poetry. And Kapil Sharma is so much your Punjab everyman travelling through India. I'm not from anywhere. Unfortunately, I've grown up everywhere so I'll have to be who I am. If I ever tried to do that, you'd smell the inauthenticity in the material.
Do you pick up anything from them when you watch Kapil Sharma and Zakir Khan perform?
Ya! I like watching art that makes you angry and makes you want to be better. I go to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe once a year, where I see a random 25-year-old comedian who's written a show that I was never capable of at 25. So I'll go back and write some more. But we all support each other. I did a trial show at Soho Theatre, London last month. Zakir was in town, he popped up and watched my whole thing. I don't know Kapil very well. Of course, we've met only intermittently. But comedians on the comedy circuit in India are always WhatsApping each other and are in each other's feedback loop.
You heaped praises on Aamir Khan's Sitaare Zameen Par by saying it gave stakes to the neurodivergent actors, who never get to perform comedy. You've worked with Aamir Khan Productions in Delhi Belly (2011), an adult comedy, a far cry from the broad comedy of Sitaare Zameen Par. Do you think more creators should help bridge this gap between these two schools of humour?
In a comedy scene, usually the person with power drives the comedy scene. What I loved about Sitaare Zameen Par is it places the power with those who usually don't get that. A superstar like Aamir gave the driving seat to someone else. It takes a very secure and good artist to do that. Delhi Belly and Sitaare Zameen Par are very different bookends of entertainment. I think there's an audience that will watch a very broad comedy, but also watch an extremely nuanced hasya kavi muqabla with shero shayari and Urdu lyricism. I think it's what you want on the day. I just made a Hindi movie with Aamir Khan Productions, which will be for an audience way larger than my stand-up comedy audience. My audience will go and watch Zakir. We're at this wonderful place in India right now, where there's purchasing power and intent. Hindi-speakers are going for Coldplay, English-speakers are going for Diljit Dosanjh, it's great. People just want something new, and an experience! I hope the two Indias are coming closer. That's the dream, right?
You're releasing your memoir The Outsider at the end of this year. How do you think being the outsider aids you?
I sometimes feel I have more freedom to talk about America than an American comic. Because American comedy is very steeped in silos of ideology. So you can come in as a rank outsider and say, 'Bro, I don't understand any of this. Here's how I see it.' And it's a perspective they're not used to hearing at all. I've been in Mumbai for 18 years. I consider myself a proud Mumbaikar. You want to have what you didn't have growing up. I wasn't raised in India, which wasn't my choice, but there's nothing I crave more than to take India across the world.
When you entered the comedy circuit in India, there wasn't much of a scene then. A lot of comics today, like Varun Grover and Tanmay Bhat, credit you for that foot in the door. Do you think you've gotten enough credit from the new breed of comics?
Let's be clear — Johnny Lever, Boman Irani, Ash Chandler, Papa CJ, and Bharat Dabolkar were all doing stand-ups way before I entered the scene. I don't want credit, just give me cash yaar. Who cares who founded what? Cash dene ka! Tanmay, make ads for all those people, bas cash bhej aur kuchh nahi. I just want laughter. What's credit worth, compared to laughs?
Why do you think no comic before or after you has been able to cross over like you have?
Yet! I've had a global childhood, so that's definitely aided me with global touring. But every single comic now is touring abroad. Yes, they're performing for an Indian audience. I get the distinction. But I also think we're on the cusp of this Indian soft power, cultural open door. It happened, for instance, with Korean cinema when the entire world began consuming that. It's something begun by RRR (2022) and All We Imagine As Light (2024). It's just two-three years away.
Do you think being a part of movies has also helped you with your popularity as a stand-up comic?
I've never been a film star, to be very clear. I haven't done a movie in nine years! I walked away from movies very clearly at a certain point because I sensed this opportunity and calling. I wouldn't have been able to do both, so I gave comedy everything. Eighty percent of my audience is between 16-30 years old. They're very young! They found me as a comic. They don't know I'm the bald guy from Delhi Belly. Having said that, God's been kind, the tribe has grown, and I hope it's enough for them to come see me in a movie later this year.
What has shifted within you from your first Netflix stand-up special, Abroad Understanding, to Fool Volume?
A special is just a snapshot of who you are at that moment. And Fool Volume is what I am now. I lost my voice, so after that, I wanted to do something silly and fun. Landing (2022) was also fun, but it was heavy. I was like, it's time to be a fool again. Why Netflix and I keep going is because I blackmail them every year. I guilt-trip them into giving me a special, how about that (laughs)?
What's more frustrating? Losing your physical voice or losing your political voice?
Losing your physical voice. The two months I went without my voice, I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. It's a terrible, terrible experience. Not being able to communicate, asking for a cup of chai, to sit with your thoughts for six weeks? It's a lot! The kind of medication and vocal therapy you have to take in order to get it back, it's like learning to walk again, except it's tougher.
Also Read — Rishi Kapoor, Katrina Kaif got up and left when it was time for Vir Das' close-up: 'They had umbrellas, I was left to bake in sun'
Finally, you recently shared on social media that we seek a lot of idols online, but we shouldn't be doing that. What do you have to say to those who idolize you?
I have an audience, I don't have a fanbase. Fanbase idolizes. Audience is like, 'I like this, I don't like this, try something different.' Nobody's throwing their underwear at me and asking for a selfie. It's all handshakes and comedians. There are way better people than comics to idolize, and my audience knows that.
Vir Das: Fool Volume drops on Netflix on July 18.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


India.com
7 minutes ago
- India.com
Saiyaara box office collection day 12: Ahaan Panday-Aneet Padda starrer becomes India's biggest love story, crosses Rs...
Directed by Mohit Suri and led by newcomers Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, Saiyaara has done what few love stories ever have: earned over Rs 400 crore globally. With a domestic gross of Rs 318 crore and a net earning of Rs 260.25 crore in India alone, it's more than just a commercial success; it's a phenomenon. Saiyaara broke multiple records In just 11 days, Saiyaara overtook Kabir Singh to become the highest-grossing romantic film in Indian cinema. The Shahid Kapoor-Kiara Advani film had earlier set the bar with Rs 387 crore worldwide, but Saiyaara crossed that in nearly a quarter of the time. Nope. It had already outperformed Kabir Singh during its opening weekend with Rs 83.25 crore net in India, compared to Kabir Singh's Rs 70 crore. That's not all, Saiyaara also recorded the biggest ever opening for a film headlined by debut actors. How strong was the film's release day? Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda's launch vehicle opened to Rs 21.50 crore on day one in India. The last record for a debut pair belonged to Dhadak (Rs 8.76 crore) back in 2018. Even compared to Hrithik Roshan's Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai and Abhishek Bachchan's Refugee from 2000, Saiyaara, stands tall, making it the biggest day-one ticket-seller among debut films in 25 years. What helped Saiyaara capture hearts so quickly? The music. Saiyaara's soul-stirring soundtrack played a huge role in its massive reach. With hits like the title track Saiyaara, Barbaad, Humsafar, and Dhun, the album turned into a chart-topping playlist. Composed by a diverse group including Tanishk Bagchi, Mithoon, Vishal Mishra, The Rish, Faheem Abdullah, Arslan Nizami, and Sachet-Parampara, and penned by Irshad Kamil and Raj Shekhar, the soundtrack follows Mohit Suri's long-standing tradition of music-driven storytelling. With more records possibly in sight and strong word-of-mouth keeping the box office alive, Saiyaara may soon become more than just a love story; it could be a landmark moment for new-gen Bollywood.


India.com
7 minutes ago
- India.com
This 90 minutes thriller will send chills down your spine, made on budget of Rs 2.5 crore, earned Rs 7 crore, has IMDb rating of 7.8, movie is…, lead actors were…
In the late 1990s, when Bollywood was dominated by song-and-dance routines and family dramas, a unique psychological thriller emerged, challenging the conventional norms of Indian cinema. This film, characterized by its minimalist approach and intense narrative, stood out as an anomaly in the industry, which is now hailed as cult classic of all time. Which film is this? The film we are talking about is 'Kaun?', a 1999 Hindi-language psychological horror directed by legendary Ram Gopal Varma and penned by maverick Anurag Kashyap. Featuring a compact cast of Urmila Matondkar, Manoj Bajpayee, and Sushant Singh, the movie unfolds entirely within a single house, emphasizing suspense and character dynamics over elaborate sets or musical interludes. Remarkably, the film was shot in just 15 days with only 3 actors, showcasing Varma's efficiency and Kashyap's vision. What is the storyline? This film revolves around a nameless woman, portrayed by Matondkar, who is alone at home during a stormy evening. Her solitude is interrupted by the arrival of a stranger (Bajpayee), leading to a tense and unpredictable interaction. The narrative delves deep into themes of trust, fear, and deception, keeping viewers on edge throughout its 90-minute runtime. What impact was created by RGV's thriller on audience's mind? Upon its release, Kaun? received mixed reviews. While some critics appreciated its experimental nature and tight storytelling, others found its deviation from mainstream Bollywood elements jarring. Commercially, the film had a modest performance, earning approximately Rs 7 crore against a budget of Rs 2.5 crore. However, over the years, it has garnered a cult following, with many praising its innovative experimental approach and compelling performances. How were the performances? Urmila Matondkar's portrayal of the enigmatic protagonist is often highlighted as one of her most nuanced performances. Her ability to convey vulnerability and unpredictability added depth to the character, making the film's climax all the more impactful. Manoj Bajpayee, too, delivered a memorable performance, oscillating between charm and menace with finesse. Sushant Singh had a brief but powerful role in Kaun? as the mysterious third character. Though his screen time was limited, his intense and silent presence added a sharp twist, enhancing the film's suspense. It was one of his early roles that showcased his potential in thrillers. Did Kaun receive any accolades? While Kaun? didn't receive major awards upon its release, but its influence on the genre is undeniable. It paved the way for more experimental thrillers in Indian cinema, proving that compelling stories could be told without the usual Bollywood tropes. Today, Kaun? is studied and celebrated for its contribution to the evolution of Indian thrillers, solidifying its place as a masterclass in suspenseful storytelling, which has hold its IMDb rating at 7.8. The film is currently available for viewing on YouTube.


Mint
7 minutes ago
- Mint
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2 on OTT: When and where to watch Smriti Irani's much-awaited comeback
Twenty-five years after it first reshaped Indian television, 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi' is making a grand return with a brand new sequel. The show, produced by Ekta Kapoor, will premiere on Tuesday, July 29 at 10:30 PM on Star Plus, and will also be available for streaming on JioHotstar, giving long-time fans and new viewers alike a chance to experience the next chapter in the iconic Virani family saga. The reboot, titled 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2', brings back beloved stars Smriti Irani as Tulsi Virani and Amar Upadhyay as Mihir. The show marks a powerful blend of nostalgia and reinvention, as it reintroduces the themes of family, duty, and relationships to a new era of television. The show will simultaenously air on Star Plus and also stream on JioHotstar. Fans of the show, who have waited with baited breath, This sequel is more about rebooting memories, redefining Indian family drama, and perhaps most importantly, reuniting viewers with the characters they've never forgotten. 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2' isn't simply about reviving a cult classic. The first teaser, shared on Star Plus' Instagram, begins not at the traditional Virani mansion, but in a restaurant. A present-day family fondly recalls the original show, before the scene shifts to a quiet, moving image of Tulsi watering a tulsi plant. In a symbolic moment, she breaks the fourth wall and says, 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi wapas aa raha hai,' a gesture that bridges generations and invites audiences back into the world they grew up with. Alongside the returning leads, the new season introduces fresh faces to the ensemble cast, including Rohit Suchanti, Shagun Sharma, Aman Gandhi, Tanisha Mehta, Prachi Singh, and Ankit Bhatia. These younger actors bring contemporary perspectives and storylines to the established dynamics of the Virani household. As Indian television continues to evolve, 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2' promises to deliver both emotional resonance and modern drama—offering loyal fans a nostalgic homecoming and new audiences a timeless tale in a refreshed format.