Comedian Vir Das believes that in comedy, the real judge isn’t a censor board or a headline but it’s the audience. As he gears up for the release of his new Netflix special, Fool Volume, Das reflects on stand-up, freedom of speech, and the ever-moving line between edgy and offensive.
“The jokes you worry about rarely get you in trouble. It’s always the unexpected ones,” he says, stressing that his role as a comedian is to speak freely and let the audience set the boundaries. “The audience decides where the line is they move it every year. My job is to walk up to that line, not run from it.”
Following his Emmy win for Vir Das: Landing, Das returns with a more playful approach. Fool Volume explores themes of joy, foolishness, and reclaiming your voice something he says became personal after he briefly lost his own during a career high. “The lesson? If there's joy in your life, scream it. That’s where the volume comes in,” he explains.
Often a target of online trolling and backlash for his satirical takes, Das handles criticism with self-deprecating humor. “People ask, ‘Who are you to say this?’ I always answer: ‘I’m an idiot.’ I’m not highly educated or an expert, I’m just someone with a voice and I think everyone deserves that, not just intellectuals.”
Despite diving into controversial topics like politics, religion, inequality; Vir Das says he remains hopeful. He believes the world, in many ways, is improving. The real challenge now? Sorting through the noise of so many equally loud voices. With four Netflix specials behind him and a fifth about to drop, Das is also writing two new shows, co-directing a film, and wrapping up his memoir The Outsider: A Memoir for Misfits. For him, the journey is only just beginning. “The 10,000 hours? That just built the car. Now I’m finally driving it.”
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