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Vir Das is happy to ‘not be a part of the rat race’ for a while
Comparing showbiz to a circus show, the Mumbai-based comedian talks about the simple joys of his days in quarantine and the lessons he’s learnt from his time at home
For comedian Vir Das, the extended lockdown is more of a boon than anything else. “I am often juggling three different professions, and I tend to get lost in one of them at a given point of time. Either I am touring [around the world] and doing stand up comedy for two months or shooting for a film for two months or making music. But I never get to do all three of them in the same week,” says the 40-year-old comedian. He adds that he is enjoying “balancing out the content” that he is creating”. “I do a standup comedy show on Zoom every night and then I write my next movie or create something for the internet. I never get to have this structural balance. So I’m kind of enjoying that a little bit,” he says.
But the most favourite part of his day, Das says, is every evening. “By 4.30pm, I am done with my writing for the day and I take my dog for a short walk outside within my compound wall and get a little sun,” says the Mumbai-based comedian.
Ask if he is enjoying the slowdown of this lockdown owing to the coronavirus and he is quick to reply with an apt anecdote. “As a comedian, it’s kind of like working in a circus — wherever the circus travels, you have to go to do the show. So, I haven’t been home this much in over a decade,” says the star of the popular Netflix show — Hasmukh. He adds, “But as artistes we are always thought to chase, and we wonder [what would we do] if we’re not able to chase any more. During the quarantine, you realise that life can still go on and you will still be okay. It is possible to not be a part of the rat race for a little bit and to take a pause.”
So, what are the other lessons he’s learnt from the quarantine? “You discover who you really want in your life. When we come out of this, the friends that we immediately reach out to, you’ll know who they are and you’ll try and keep them around a little bit more,” he says.
The comedian, who is prompt with his politically witty comments on his social media accounts, also points out this poignant view. “Something we need to truly understand is that people of all economic sections are affected the same by this virus. And how we are affected, affects another person as well. A migrant worker needs to be okay for me to be okay and I need to be okay for him to be okay,” he concludes.
