Stand-up comedian, actor and filmmaker Vir Das is back in the news for various reasons. His last release, The Bubble,directed by Judd Apatow may have received mixed reviews, but it has once again ensured Vir is on the right track. The actor has signed on a new show with Fox Studios and CBS, and has recently directed and shot a another for a streaming platform in India.
“The Bubble was the second most watched film on Netflix worldwide. It felt fantastic,” says the actor. He recollects shooting with the likes of Judd Apatow, Pedro Pascal and Iris Apatow. “It was a g reat experience to have worked with the cast. I had auditioned for a role in something else that Judd was doing. He called me and said, ‘I think you are very funny, just come in and be in this movie and we will make it up as we go along.’ He is a very improvisational director. He spent a few weeks talking about my character and literally everything you see on screen was improvised,” he reveals. While Vir has been slowly making strides in Hollywood, it’s his comedy that has literally taken him places. The pandemic and the lockdowns had put his touring on hold.
But now, the comedian is back with his show Wanted and has already finished the India leg of the tour. “I spent the pandemic shooting back-to-back projects. I hadn’t toured in two-and-a-half years, so I felt it was time to rebuild the touring career. I am embarking on a 32-country world tour. Compared to my previous shows, Wanted is more personal. It’s about carrying your identity across the world. It’s also about how much you let the world affect you, and how much you want to affect the world. This is the best way to describe it,” he says.
However, the biggest drop from Vir this year was his beer label Faaaakit! The 42-year-old released an ad on his Twitter account that spoke about how his label is his answer to the craft beer culture in India. “You have beer nazis, just like you have grammar nazis and wine nazis. All these people take things way too seriously and kind of ruin the drinking experience. So this beer goes against those people,” he says in jest. One of the main reasons that prompted him to launch his own label was to reward himself. He explains, “I don’t drink hard alcohol because I find it too strong and I never liked the taste. A reward to myself is a beer, whether it is at the end of the week or at the end of a shoot. There’s this new culture around beer drinking that can sometimes be alienating to people. In certain pockets, it caters to an alpha male. I wanted to counter this idea. I wanted to make an anti-beer establishment, where men and women can drink together. It’s a happy beer!”
Though he is back on tour, Vir has something exciting coming up. “It’s a series that is an equal mix of comedy and tragedy, as much as it will make you laugh it will make you sad too. I shot, directed and starred in it and it will be out in the next three months on an OTT platform in India. I will also be playing the lead in an American movie early next year,” he signs off.
ayeshatabassum@newindianexpress.com
@aishatax