Art

Vir Das wants to do theatre

Shalvi Mangaokar, Hindustan Times
September 25, 2012

Email to Author

First Published: 15:07 IST(25/9/2012)
Last Updated: 19:14 IST(27/9/2012)

Share more.

comments

Email

print

Stand-up comedian Vir Das has been signed for Yash Raj's next to be directed by Parmeet Sethi.

You know Vir Das for his stand-up comedy acts, and for the few Bollywood comedies he has acted in — the most memorable being the role of Arup in Delhi Belly (2011). The comedian now wants a new stage, literally. He feels this is the right time for him to venture into theatre production. Over the

last few years, his company, Weirdass Comedy, has tried various projects, and getting into theatre, he reckons, is the next natural step. The Weirdass Repertory, his theatre company, is all set to produce plays that will spoof some of the biggest international films.

Vir says, “Weirdass Comedy has seen two very good years. We’ve ventured into television, films and stand-up comedy. Over time, many comedians and playwrights sent us mails asking about plays. We felt it was time to get into it.” Ask him about his content plan and he says, “We’re going to do a play on The Godfather to begin with. Then we’re working on scripts based on Star Wars and Frankenstein.” Ask him why he chose these iconic films and he says, “You’re familiar with the content already. We will give you a comic take on it. Who wouldn’t want to see a stupid version of The Godfather? We’re also working on theatre actor Anand Tiwari’s play, All In The Timing. Our idea is to work on adaptations and originals.”

The venues for these plays, will be unconventional, says Vir, adding, “We will have our shows at places like The Blue Frog or an abandoned mill, basically, a venue where you won’t expect to see a play.” Vir says, “In India, we either do serious plays or the PG Wodehouse kind of comedies. We want to present a marriage between the two.”

His first play, The Godfather, will be staged in November, and be followed by All In the Timing this December.