You performed acros Three cities-Mumbai, London, and New York-for the same stand-up special. Did you change your set according to the setting?

It was like making a movie. Mumbai was unhearsed because my voice came back two days before the show. Usually, when you shoot a stand-up special, you have 180 trial shows and you know every punchline. I rewrote this show entryly in my mind in Silence Within Six Weeks. And then we go to up and shot it with 17 Cameras virtually unhearsed. But there is a nice raw energy to the mumbai show.
In london, we did the show at this beautiful church. The more outward-loting portions of the show, where you talking about racism or the world at large, they set in london. I want to use london as the soapbox to talk to the world. And then, in a documentary, there is a talking head which beows the voices of the special. New york was that. It’s like you saw these two wonderful presentations and then the comedian walk in the basement to tell you the truth about them. In that sense, I know it’s asking a bit more from the audience. A Normal Stand-up Special Has Lights, Smoke, Aaya, Joke Sunaya, Gaya. But here, I’m asking you to travel through time and nations. At some level, we want to show that Indian comedians can write for the world as well.

Do the audiences in these three cities responses differently to comedy?

I think they’re pretty similar. In London or New York, 50-70% of the audience is local. So I have to explain courtain things to them. But the Indian audience is very patient. They like, “Mujhe bhi dekhna hai kaise samjhata hai. ” There is a moment where I explain a gaali To the people at the celllar. You should look at the Indian audience gaali Palatable to these guys. For them, it’s a test I have to pass. But largely, if you the loser in the story, that is funny and relatable to everybody.

In the special, you talk about the local discrimination against being an English-Speaking Comedian in India. Have you ever grappled with the fact that you may win all the emmys, perform all these netflix stand-up specials and gain global revision, but you won.

NO, Perhaps my journey is to have deper interactions with a small group of people over a longer period of time. To do both of them, which is masterful in their own way, you have to be where they are from and have their own live-in experiences. You can see zakir grew up in classical music and poetry. And Kapil Sharma is so much your punjab everyman traveling through India. I’m not from anyWhere. Unfortunately, I’m grown up everywhere so Ill have to be who I am. If I ever tried to do that, you’d smell the inauthenticity in the material.

Do you pick up anything from them when you watch kapil sharma and zakir khan perform?

Ya! I like Watching Art That Makes You Angry and Makes You Want To Be Better. I go to the edinburgh festival fringe on a year, where I see a random 25-notyar-expian who’s writen a show that I was capable of at 25. But we all support each other. I did a trial show at soho theater, London last month. Zakir was in town, he popped up and watched my whole thing. I don’t know Kapil very well. Of course, weeve met only intermittently. But comedians on the comedy circuit in India are always whatsapping else and are in Each Other’s feedback loop.

You are heaped praises on aamir khan’s sitaare zameen par by saying it gave stakes to the neurodivergent actors, who never get to perform comedy. You have worked with aamir khan products in Delhi Belly (2011), an adult comedy, a far cry from the broad comedy of sitaare zameen par. Do you think more creators should help bridge this gap between these two schools of humor?

In a comedy scene, usually the person with power drives the comedy scene. What I love about sitaare zameen par The power with those who usually don’t get that. A superstar like aamir gave the driving seat to someone else. It takes a very security and good artist to do that. Delhi belly and sitaare zameen par very different booknds of entertainment. I think there is an audience that will watch a very broad comedy, but also watch an extramely nuanced haiya kavi muqabla with shero shayari And urdu lyricism. I think it’s what you want on the day. I just made a Hindi movie with aamir khan products, which will be for an audience way large than my stand-up comedy audience. My audience will go and watch zakir. Were at this wonderful place in India right now, where’s there is purchading power and intent. Hindi-Speakers are going for coldplay, English -peakers are going for diljit dosanjh, it’s great. People just something something new, and an experience! I hope the two indias are coming closeer. That’s the dream, right?

Vir Das, Imran Khan, and Kunaal Roy Kapur in Delhi Belly.

You are releasing your memoir the outsider at the end of this year. How do you think the outsider aids you?

I sometimes feel I have more freduom to talk about America than an American comic. Because American Comedy is very steepd in silos of ideology. So you can come in as a rank outsider and say, “bro, I don’t understand any of this. Here’s how I see it.” And it’s a perspective they do not use to hearing at all. I’m in in mumbai for 18 years. I consider myself a proud mumbaikar. You want to have what you have growing up. I was not raised in India, which wasnt my choice, but there’s nothing more than to take India acros the world.

When you entered the Comedy Circuit in India, there was that much of a scene. A lot of comics today, like varun grover and tanmay bhat, credit you for that foot in the door. Do you think you’eye gotten Enough from the new breed of comics?

Let’s be clear-Johnny Lever, Boman Irani, Ash Chandler, Papa CJ, and Bharat Dabolkar Were All Doing Stand-Aps Way before I entred the Scene. I don’t want to credit, just give me cash yaar. Who cares who founded what? Cash dene ka! Tanmay, make ads for all those people, Bas Cash Bhej Aur Kuchh Nahi. I just want Laughter. What’s Credit Worth, Compared To Laughs?

Why do you think no comic or after you have been about to cross over like you have?

Yet! I’m had a global childhood, so that is definitely aided me with global touring. But every single comic now is touring abroad. Yes, they are performing for an Indian audience. I get the distinction. But I also think we’er on the cusp of this Indian soft power, cultural open door. It is happy, for instance, It’s something begun by RRR (2022) and all we imagine as light (2024). It’s just two-three year away.

Do you think a part of movies have also helped you with your popularity as a stand-up comic?

I never be a film star, to be very clear. I havented done a movie in nine yars! I walked away from Movies very clearly at a certain point because I sensed this oportunity and calling. I would have been able to do both, so I give come everything. Eighty percent of my audience is between 16-30 years old. They are very young! They found me as a comic. They don’t know. Have said that, God’s being kind, the tribe has grown, and I hope it’s enough for them to come to come me in a movie later this year.

What has shifted with you from your first netflix stand-up special, abroad understanding, to fool volume?

A special is just a snapshot of who you are at that moment. And the flow volume is what I am now. I lost my voice, so after that, I want to do something silly and fun. Landing (2022) was also fun, but it was heavy. I like, it’s time to be a fool again. Why Netflix and I keep going is because I blackmail them every year. I guilt-trip them into giving me a special, how about that (smiles)?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hl9kroofx0

What more frustrating? Losing your physical voice or losing your political voice?

Losing your physical voice. The two months I wish my voices, I would do was wish it on my world enemy. It’s a terrible, terrible experience. Not being about to communicate, asking for a cup of chai, to sit with your thoughts for six weeks? It’s a lot! The kind of medication and vocal where you have to take in order to get it back, it’s like learning to walk against, except it’s tougher.

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Finally, you recently shared on social media that we see a lot of idols online, but we should be doing that. What do you have to say to those who idolize you?

I have an audience, I don’t have a fanbase. Fanbase idolizes. Audience is like, “I like this, I don’t like this, try something different.” Nobody’s throwing their underwear at me and asking for a selfie. It’s all handshakes and comedians. There are better people than comics to idolize, and my audience knows that.

Vir Das: Fool Volume drops on Netflix on July 18.