Cover Vir Das will be performing in Hong Kong’s Kitec on May 16 (Photo: Getty Images)
Vir Das will be performing in Hong Kong’s Kitec on May 16 (Photo: Getty Images)
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Indian comedian Vir Das won an Emmy Award last year; this year, he is back as Emmy host. Tatler speaks to the Bollywood celeb about how he stays true to comedy in a changing socio-political climate
Indian comedian Vir Das likes to call himself “small fish” (at least that’s what he said on The Daily Show in December 2023), but he has been one of the leading figures in the country’s comedy scene for almost a decade now. And in recent years, his content has had a wider reach among international audiences—thanks to six Netflix specials—and the accolades have kept coming in, all this culminating in an Emmy win in 2023 in the best comedy category for his Netflix show, Vir Das: Landing.
But it hasn’t always been a smooth ride for Das. Just three years ago, when the comedian recited his poem titled I Come from Two Indias during a performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, he found himself facing strong backlash from some of his countrymen—who interpreted his poem as defaming India—which resulted in police complaints being filed against the comedian. But Das has firmly and stoically put all such controversies behind him, and says he is undeterred in his pursuit of authentic self-expression through his art.
Right now for Das, that involves the Mind Fool Tour, a stand-up comedy tour for which he is travelling to 33 countries and regions, including Hong Kong. Ahead of his show in our city on May 16, Tatler speaks to Das about his Emmy win, his next projects and what he’s looking forward to the most in Hong Kong.
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Congrats on winning the Emmy for your Netflix special, Vir Das: Landing. What does this win mean for you personally and for the Indian comedy scene?
Thank you. For the Indian comedy scene, I’m hoping that this win for Vir Das: Landing opens doors for other submissions and for other comedians to take advantage of the opportunity.
On a personal level, I think it was a validation for people who have stuck with me for a long time, such as my audience members who have been following my career for years now. But beyond that, I don’t think it affects my comedy career at all. If you walk on to the stage holding an Emmy, life’s going to be a little more difficult. [laughs]
But was there any special moment related to the Emmy win?
Putting the award in my parents’ hands. That was the real win. They were really proud of me. I don’t think I cried after getting the Emmy, but my parents did.
Moving on to the Mind Fool Tour, which is said to be “the largest global tour by an Indian comic” on your Instagram page, what kind of preparation goes on behind the scenes before such a tour?
I mean, one writes the material, then you go over it chunk by chunk, and you try out [pieces from it] in [comedy] clubs, and try to make sure that it works well over there. Then hopefully about four months into the process, the show’s theme begins to emerge. For this tour, for instance, it started off as a collection of jokes that kind of evolved into a theme of finding happiness in the search for adulthood.
Do you tweak the content according to the audience in a particular region?
I don’t. I do me and I kind of hope the audiences enjoy themselves enough to come back. There’s usually too many people in the audience to personalise the content for everyone.
For the Hong Kong leg of the tour, what are you looking forward to the most?
This will be my first public show in Hong Kong. I’m looking forward to the food actually. I just want to walk around, explore the city and eat. I’m doing this movie right now, and I haven't had an unhealthy meal in a while. So I hope to have many such meals in Hong Kong. However, I don’t know much about Hong Kong food. But I am hoping my tour manager will take me out and we can explore the city’s food scene a bit.
Comedy, at its very essence, is meant to poke fun, be it at people, institutions or practices. But in the current socio-political climate, how does one stay true to this essence of comedy while not hurting people’s sentiments?
I’m not trying to hurt anyone with my stand-up comedy. The way I see it, the audience knows where the line is. And it’s my job to walk up to the line. And if the audience moves the line, I’ll walk up to the new line, but I’m not second-guessing or self-editing my content before the show. And if I have a point to make, I do it through my art.
You just mentioned that you are doing a movie. Can you share more about it?
Yeah, I am working on an action comedy in Bollywood. Apart from acting in it, I am directing and producing it too. Right now, we are shooting for it, and many of the scenes involve me getting beaten up. It should get released next year.
Suchetana Mukhopadhyay is the Digital Content Manager for Tatler Hong Kong. In this role, she leads all digital editorial and branded content on Tatler Hong Kong’s website, from brainstorming story ideas with the writers to editing and publishing the articles, and from managing the overall content flow to driving search engine optimisation. She also leads the beauty content at Tatler Hong Kong and across the region, and is always looking to champion diversity through her articles. She was previously with Cedar Hong Kong and Gafencu, and freelanced for the South China Morning Post, Campaign Asia-Pacific, CNN and more. Contact her here.
