Herald Café: How do you like
spending your time when in Goa?
Vir Das: Not many people know that
I own a house in Goa which is also
the only house that I own. I cannot
tell you the exact details but it is in
the south of Goa in a very private
location. I have written a lot of my
shows in Goa, like ‘History of India’,
‘Battle of the sexes’ as well as half of
the show that I’m currently touring
for, ‘Unbelievable’. So whenever I
want to get away, Goa it is for me.
HC: Don’t you think it is
inappropriate of you to expect
people to come attend your show …
on a Friday …in the evening….in the
party capital of India? 😉
VD: I promise my show will be
a party. And I will be done in 90
minutes. So people can carry on
with their party plans post my show.
(laughs)
HC: How would you describe your
humour genre?
VD: I’m a very simple comedian….an
observational comedian. Things that
I find funny are simple things which
other people might not notice. Also,
it is about the phases in your life
as a comedian. In the early part of
a comedian’s career, he/she does
90% of Bollywood and a little bit of
politics and cricket. I am done with
that phase. I like academics. My
jokes are based on history, science,
etc. Last year, I completed ten years
as a comedian, and I realised that I
haven’t written about myself. The
Unbelievable Tour is a journey into
life, told through my life. It covers
the major ‘touchpoints’ in a human
being’s life mixed with a healthy
dose of lying and dishonesty. As
an audience member, you have
to catch me and tell if I’m being
honest or bluffing.
HC: You have been one of the
early ones to popularise stand
up comedy in India, inspiring
newcomers in the industry who
look up to you as a role model.
Does that add an extra sense of
responsibility?
VD: No. I don’t consider myself
as a role model… legacy is not
something that I think of. I am the
most expensive comedian in India.
A front row seat for my show in
Mumbai costs approximately Rs
4000. It means that the person in
the front row sacrificed watching,
maybe, six movies at the multiplex
or perhaps he didn’t go out that
weekend and maybe the next
weekend either. That adds pressure.
I think about whether that person
will go home after the show
thinking that it was worth the
money that he spent.
HC: In a sensitive country like ours,
how do you continue to be careful
yet creative while being
funny?
VD: You exercise your own
intellectual capabilities. I’m 35…
old enough to make decisions
for myself and understand what
is right and wrong. I’m not vulgar
or obscene; that is not my kind of
humour. My content is not race
biased either. I like little things
that people don’t usually notice.
You can criticise my comedy but I
don’t like being called unintelligent.
It is about setting the context for
your joke which is as important as
delivering it. It is about making sure
that the audience knows that your
approach is intelligent.
HC: You wrote an open letter post
your show in New Delhi that was
stopped by the cops. What have
been your learning points from
that incident?
VD: What happened in Delhi is that
one person who was on a power
trip called the cops. The policemen
came, had a sandwich with me, had
a laugh and went back home. The
letter was to set the context for my
tour. Nobody has covered these
many cities and done a comedy
show at such a big scale in India. It
was to tell anybody who has a rod
up his b*m, to not come for the
show.
