DAS CAPITAL

After revolutionising India's standup scene, Vir Das is experimenting with his craft and exploring new avenues

- POOJA BIRAIA JAISWAL

It was 2009. ‘Walking on Broken Das’ had just hit the comedy circuit, and India was warming up to Vir Das and his standup routine involving sex, alcohol and James Bond jokes. “We could never ever have an Indian Bond,” Das would say, “because it is impossible to have an Indian man wear a tuxedo without looking like a waiter.”

Das, lean and clean-shaven, would open his gig by introducing himself. “A lot of people come for the show and they don’t really know what my name is,” he would say. “They know my work, but they don’t know who I am. Some think I might be Russell Peters!”

In three years, though, he no longer had to fear about people mistaking him for the Canadian-Indian comic. In 2012, leading theatre producer Ashvin Gidwani presented ‘History of India— Vir-itten’, written and performed by Das. The show’s banners and tickets had pictures of Das wearing a black tuxedo and standing with folded hands. He had finally arrived. His jokes not just evoked laughter, but tears of laughter as well.

But that was not good enough for Das. He had to up his ante, and stir the audience. So his shows began addressing issues that were both cerebral and contentious—like racism (2017), homophobia (2018) and religion (2019). Das’s evolution as a comedian became apparent.

“So, white people,” he told a New York City audience in 2017, “I submit to you that we Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Nepalis and Sri Lankans all look the same. The only difference between me and the Pakistani person is increased musical quality and decreased life expectancy.”