If I crack a six-word joke, 200 people will write 3,000 words each about it: Vir Das

It’s double jammy for Vir Das, as he debuts on and garners rave reviews for his Netflix outing Abroad Understanding. Jetlagged and tired but still on his toes, Vir answers a volley of questions about being a comedian in India.

Right now, Vir is not just the talk of the town but practically the whole world, but he seems to be underplaying it. “There’s so much content on Netflix that I thought it would take Abroad Understanding at least a couple of months to pick up.” But, almost overnight, for the first time in his 10-year-long career so far, Vir went viral. “I couldn’t believe it got millions of views on Facebook and YouTube. It’s crazy!” he smiles.

Being on Conan O’Brien’s show made Vir so nervous that he said ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’ 19 odd times! “It’s Conan O’Brien, after all. He’s my idol and the biggest host of late night shows. He came to my green room and hung out for a bit.”

Vir admits that performing in India can turn out to be a pain after the performance sometimes. “If I crack a six-word joke, 200 people will write 3,000 words each about it. Everyone’s opinion becomes too valuable and they consider themselves pundits. That really baffles me.” Such comments or being trolled doesn’t bother him though. “The audience in a comedy club will either laugh or not laugh at your jokes. That’s the only review I really need,” he says.

In spite of being a pioneer of sorts in stand-up comedy, Vir feels like a newbie compared to the Netflix stalwarts like Louis C.K. But, he is extremely proud of the Indian legacy in comedy. “With haasya kavi sammelan, I think we have a very old comedy culture.” Vir, however, confesses that he only represents English Indian comedy and not ‘Indian’ Indian comedy. “The true Indian comedy is represented by Johnny Lever, Raju Srivastav, and Surendra Sharma who are one of the greatest comic artistes that ever lived.”

Vir is currently working on a new album for his band Alien Chutney and all set to take off on a 25-country tour including Australia, countries in Europe, Africa, and East Asia, and end with India in January next year.

The stand-up comedian is also aware that he’s had hits and misses in Bollywood. “Some films do well while the others don’t. But I mostly care about my relation with the audience. They understand that I can be good and bad both,” says Vir.