You’re walking in a jungle, and you meet a lion. What time is it? It’s time to run.” That’s Vir Das’s earliest memory of a joke.
He was 8, watching a senior’s speech at a school debate, and wasn’t impressed. His assessment: “The joke is wrong. If you run into a lion, it’s time to die.”
Twenty-nine years later, the boy who didn’t laugh is the first stand-up comedian from India to get a Netflix special, joining an esteemed legion that includes Louis C.K., Dave Chappelle and Kevin Hart. Das is conscious of the prestige platform. “They say that in comedy it takes 15 years to find your voice. I am a rank newcomer on the world circuit,” says Das, who has been at it for nine-and-a-half years. “There’s no wisdom or perspective to be expected from a guy like me. I am just figuring s*** out.”
This story is from the May 22, 2017 edition of India Today.
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This story is from the May 22, 2017 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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