We need laughter: Vir Das weaponises his art form to fight Covid-19 crisis, asks privileged ones to step up

Actor-comedian Vir Das feels privileged to be able to continue doing his job during the ongoing Covid-19 crisis in India, and says it is his responsibility to pay forward all the proceeds from that.

There’s no way to escape the gloominess of the present reality amid the pandemic, and Vir Das doesn’t even want to try and run away from it. Instead, the actor and stand-up comedian is trying to weaponise his art form to raise funds to support the country in its fight against Covid-19.

Actor-comedian Vir Das recently touched up the topic of death and the failure of a system of governance in relation with the ongoing Covid-19 crisis his TenOnTen series.

Cooped up inside his house, Das is utilising his time to make people “laugh and reflect” on the hard truths and find ways to contribute to the healthcare battle.

“I’ve lost people in the second wave, everybody I know has lost someone. (But) we need laughter. It doesn’t stop us from laughing or trying to make each other laugh and smile,” he says, adding, “I’m just one man, and all I have is, jokes. So, I’m doing the most I can do with that.”

From deaths to government’s failure, Das is touching upon various facets of the crisis through his comedy, and stresses that it “felt irresponsible to talk about anything else”.

Earlier this month, he raised ₹7 lakh for charity through show, Vir Das At Home, but he doesn’t like to talk much about it.

“The only thing I can say is that people who’re blessed with large social media platforms, or a large following, like I am, we should weaponise our platforms and art forms for awareness and for fundraising,” shares Das, who’s actively working on his TenOnTen series.

Last year also, Das, 41, used his craft for society’s welfare, and raised over ₹37 lakhs by doing virtual gigs during the lockdown.

“I’m just trying to acknowledge the responsibility that I have, which is to do my job. I feel blessed, fortunate and privileged I can do it all from my house,” he says, questioning, “If people who come from a place of privilege won’t do their job in this moment, then who will? Almost, 98 percent of the population in different professions aren’t going to work, or have their jobs in jeopardy. And if I can sell 2000 tickets, just sitting at my desk, then I owe it to pay forward all the proceeds and to give them away.”

For Das, comedy isn’t just a laughing matter, but also his coping mechanism. “I’m part of the two percent who are getting to do their job right now. I won’t waste it. I want to make sure that it counts for something,” he shares.

According to the actor, baby steps have the power to lead to big things. “Helping one person is better than helping zero. Look, how people have used social media for good. In an environment where they couldn’t count on the government, they’ve counted on each other. It happens one by one,” he concludes.