‘Hello Vir Das’: Derek O'Brien's invitation after Bengaluru disappointment

Vir Das had announced on Instagram that they were postponing the Bengaluru show due to "unavoidable circumstances" and details and new dates will be announced soon.

A day after stand-up comic Vir Das announced that his Bengaluru show was deferred, Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien on Friday extended a wholehearted welcome to the artist in Kolkata. Vir Das's set - scheduled for Thursday - was called off last minute due to ‘unavoidable circumstances’ following protests by Hindu right-wing groups. “Hello Vir Das. Come to Kolkata. We would love to have you here this winter. DM me please. Let’s get this going,” the Rajya Sabha member tweeted.

Vir Das performing at a stand-up show. (File image)

A complaint was filed by the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti that protested against the show would ‘hurt religious sentiments of Hindus’. They demanded that the police cancel the show.

Vir Das had announced on Instagram – “We are pushing the Bengaluru show. New details and dates soon. Sorry for the inconvenience.” He also uploaded a video on Twitter later calling out the “many assumptions” about his content.

“I made this video after one of my shows, Just in Case. I have no interest in media spectacles or being used for headlines. I’m an artist. I shouldn’t be on the news. Many assumptions are made about my content. I trust my art and my audience to speak for me. #TrustTheAudience,” he tweeted.

Internationally-known stand-up comic Vir Das is known to stir controversy with his staunch criticism of the government in his stand-up shows. Last year, his monologue – ‘I come from two Indias’ – had stirred a huge row for allegedly defaming the country.