Vir Das is on a quest: To take India to the rest of the world through his comedy. And if his globe-spanning 25-country tour over the next year won’t do the trick, a Netflix special just might? Abroad Understanding, streaming now on Netflix, sees the Indian-born comic, actor and musician test his “authentic Indian comedy” before two very different audiences: a 12,000 strong New Delhi crowd at a stadium and 200 unsuspecting Americans in a New York basement.
While being the first Indian comedian to get a dedicated special on Netflix may seem high on any list of achievements, Das was pretty successful to begin with. Apart from ruling the comedy circuits with his one-man shows, he has hosted successful TV shows such as News on the Loose, Now Not Showing with Vir Das, Cricket Firsts and Ripping the Decade.
Having always called himself an actor first and a comedian second, Das has grown his Bollywood career over the last five years with hits like Delhi Belly and Go Goa Gone. He also fronts comedy-rock band Alien Chutney, dropping gems like The Maggi Maggi Song, Winter is Coming – The Tribute Son and Mummy Love.
But speak to the multi-talented man and surprisingly, he comes off as humble and charmingly self-deprecating. “If you’re so tired from watching brilliant comedians on Netflix that you need to watch a guy who’s just gotten his [expletive] together recently, then Abroad Understanding is the show to watch,” said Das, over the phone from Mumbai. “Like you have a Dave Chappelle special, a Louis C.K. special or a Kevin Hart special, this will be a much more amateurish Vir Das special.”
Das is adamant that he wants to use the Indian accent to define a perspective or make a point, and not have it become a bit or a punchline like it so often does. “You never see people use their Indian accent to talk about Obamacare or Trump or Section 377 or homophobia or racism. So from that sense, I feel like this show is an authentic Indian perspective on world issues,” he said.
Having recently returned to India from a gruelling US tour, where he performed 43 shows in 36 days, he’s raring to get going to the rest of the 24 countries on his list — he takes off for Australia in May. “We had about 19,000 to 20,000 people in total attending the shows and we sold out at least 40 shows in the US,” said Das. “And going to places like Denver, Colorado, where there are no Indians and have about 500 Americans listen to my jokes about Modi or Indian food or Bollywood and have them respond to that. That was pretty cool.”
Das’ journey with comedy began as a student in Illinois. Having been part of a four year-long severe theatre programme at university, Das decided to write and perform a stand-up show in his senior year — Brown Men Can’t [Expletive] — in an attempt to experiment with a free hand.
“But I think it really began when I watched Eddie Murphy’s Delirious. And then I started reading George Carlin, Woody Allen, Lenny Bruce. So for me, it began as a fan. Not so much as a comedian,” he said.
However, writing comedy is still a struggle. “It takes me a long time. I’m not a writer. I’m more of a performer-writer. I don’t write typical joke structures and it’s not scientifically good stand-up, I would say. But there’s also a freedom that’s attached to that. Because you’re allowed to go to spaces that you might call edgy, but can also explore extremely stupid spaces.”
While connecting to a global audience has become his forte of sorts, back in India things are not so easy. A growing tide of “intolerance” sees a strong backlash against almost any form of comedy, especially online, and censorship is very much on the rise. “I don’t think it means that you can’t say this or you can’t say that. It means that you say what you want to say and there’ll be consequences. And the choice we make is definitely to say it and deal with the consequences because for every sort of person that is mad at you, there are at least 200 people who will take your side. I’ve never censored myself and I don’t plan to. So that shouldn’t be the choice that artists are making,” said Das.
The actor will soon be seen in the lead role in the upcoming Patel Ki Punjabi Shaadi, alongside Paresh Rawal and Rishi Kapoor who play his father and father-in-law consecutively, which he says felt like “going to comedy university with two legends”. The movie is expected to release in June this year.
In more exciting news, Das is set to write, produce and act in his own feature, set to begin production by the end of this year, starring popular comedians from across India. “Because a lot of people have been waiting for a film like Delhi Belly or Go Goa Gone again for a while now. So instead of waiting around for it, I decided to make it happen myself.”
Don’t miss it!
Abroad Understanding is now streaming on Netflix.
