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From
Tehelka Magazine, Vol 8, Issue 25, Dated 25 June 2011 |
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| CULTURE & SOCIETY |
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PSYCHOLOGIES |
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‘I have never been popular with women. That’s comic’
WHO A stand-up comedian, Vir Das was born in Dehradun. Having studied arts at Harvard University, he went on to perform live comic acts in about a 100 shows in India as well as abroad. He has acted in films such as Namastey London, Mumbai Calling, Love Aaj Kal and Badmaash Company. He will be next seen in Delhi Belly alongside Imran Khan and Kunal Roy Kapoor.
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Vir Das, 32, Comedian |
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By Nandan Sharalaya
Did you feel a certain disconnect with respect to culture while growing up in Nigeria?
Not at all. In Nigeria, you get to imbibe African, British and a host of other cultures. Moreover, as an Indian NRI family, you tend to retain a lot more ‘Indianness’.
When you are paid to be funny, does it suddenly become difficult to act funny?
Not exactly. Five years ago, people would pay Rs 300 for my shows. Now they pay Rs 800. Yes, there is some amount of pressure but in the end, it’s a problem only you can solve.
Sarcasm and humour are often used as defence mechanisms. Is there an insecurity you are trying to hide?
You know, the guy in school who pulls his pants down and does these lame cartwheels in front of the girls is not the comedian, he is the clown. There’ll be another guy who would have conned that guy into doing it for two bucks. He is the real comedian! There’s no insecurity. I have never been popular with women, and that I think is ‘comedy’ by itself!
Could you care less when your jokes are not taken in the right spirit?
I would only care when my jokes are not liked. I’ll go back, keep working on my joke till it becomes funny. Hence, if any of my jokes are offending you, then by all means don’t come for my show. A Sardar once tried to kill me by flinging himself at me. Thankfully, he was 20 rows behind and we sorted it out before it was too late.
If you were to make a movie on a current political situation in the country, what would it be like?
I guess I would make a film on the Commonwealth Games and would play Kalmadi. I’ll make you believe my film will release in June but it won’t. Then July, then August, September, October, November and suddenly by December you’ll figure there’s no film!
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