In an exclusive chat with The Pioneer, internationally acclaimed comedian Vir Das speaks of his collaboration with UnCrave by Licious, his favourite cuisine, his comfort food, channeling himself to be creative, and more.
Amartya Smaran
On February 7, internationally acclaimed comedian Vir Das posted a video on Instagram in collaboration with UnCrave by Licious, but what’s UnCrave? This is a plant-based meat that tastes just like meat! The top comedian is the brand ambassador of UnCrave, where he plants knowledge about why you should beleave in plant-based meat.
With five Netflix stand-up specials to his name, he’s losing it sometimes, vouching For India on the global stage, going Outside In with his COVID stand-up routine, tackling nationalism and globalism in his cross-cultural special Abroad Understanding”, before finally Landing on his Greenlight Tour. Will that be on Netflix too? Well! He’s currently touring abroad. I guess we’ll have to wait for the announcement.
When life becomes bland and everything goes out of focus, Vir Das says he channels himself to be creative. “That brings me right back up!”
“I am a hardcore meat lover, and the very idea of no meat on some days is not an idea in my head,” says the comic, talking about what made him sign up for UnCrave by Licious. “So, the association between UnCrave and me is, like, me and funny. It’s simply meant to be!”
Who’s not big on food? The majority of us are, right? Otherwise, the world would be such a boring place. India is a land of diverse cultures, and as a result, we’ve got a plethora of dishes from various cuisines to choose from. What’s the Landing comedian’s favourite cuisine? “With all the traveling I do, food is always an important part of all the new places I discover and tour in. But, I love Asian food. The flavour always smacks.”
All of us have our favourite comfort food. For some, it’s a sturdy little Shawarma and for others, it is homemade dal and rice. We can’t actually generalise because we all have our preferences. Okay! Time to know what the multi-hatter loves, “Having lived in Delhi, I think the lip-smacking aloo parathas are my go-to comfort food that I crave the most.”
The kinds of things we do when we go on a diet are quite funny, but those quirks make us human. Especially, when we go on one of those extreme diets. In the first few weeks, we’re determined and want to nail the diet, but those notorious cravings outsmart our short-lived willpower. The Bubble actor isn’t that adventurous when it comes to his diet: “My go-to strategy is to find a diet that is realistic and not too extreme, in order to make sure that we then listen to our mind.”
Vir Das is one of the finest stand-up comedians we have in the country right now. From performing on the Conan O’Brien show to casually conversing with the host on his podcast, Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend, the comic appeared on some of the most well-known international channels. This is not to say that just because international hosts and podcasters called him on board, Vir is great. The point is, his comedy has the power to transcend all boundaries and reach a wider audience. And he’s the first Indian comic to do it so gracefully and successfully.
Let’s make a segue into how the witty comedian measures success. Is he unfazed by the challenges that life throws at him? Especially when something doesn’t go well in his professional life. “I think success is when people from the most unexpected places and parts, and enjoy your comedy, that’s when you know that you’re doing something right. The challenge has been to keep evolving with the times and to be aware of and balance between sensitivities and ward off unnecessary trolls. I do my own job. I stay in my own lane. Creative work is so unique to oneself. So I think, like any other comedian, staying true to your style is the way to go.”
With so much happening in life, it is important to switch off once in a while. Letting us in on his creative process, he shares, “I switch off. Most importantly, I write with myself first and then jam with my team. To get in the zone I do prefer going away and creating something new.”
The Go Goa Gone actor finds the lack of creative freedom the most dreadful when it comes to his craft. “The lack of creative freedom on some occasions, and the fact that no matter how much you tour, if a joke you terribly enjoy, doesn’t land, it just sucks. That’s the ultimate truth.”
Are you a young budding stand-up comic? Do you bomb? Are you confused? Well! This one’s for you. In this super quick interview with The Pioneer, Vir Das gives a short master class, “I would say that we should just keep performing. Do standup as many times as you can and practice. Do trial shows. Bomb terribly. See what the gap is and where it is. Sulk a little, be heartbroken but then address why your jokes didn’t land. What and how can you improve that and use heckling as a good source of crowd work? Also always observe other artists.”
