As trouble mounts for Vir Das, Entertainment Industry distances itself from ‘Hi 2 India’ Monologue

Stand-up comedian Vir Das must be wondering what hit him after his 6-minute monologue at the Kennedy Centre in Washington went virulently viral. Though his provocative rumination on the duality of the Indian ethos has garnered sizeable support from the so-called liberals, Vir is not going to find it easy to land on his feet in the entertainment business once he returns from foreign soil (having attained his 6 minutes of fame).

Apparently, many state governments will follow Madhya Pradesh and ban Vir Das from performing. And this includes Maharashtra where a move is afoot to silence him.

I tried getting in touch with Vir, but he did not respond.

In an interview last year he said, “I am a small fish in the public eye I get some attention. I am not saying something others are not. I have been brought up in a family where we were encouraged to ask questions about governance, knowledge and just about anything under the sky. My opinions get emphasized on social media and they find their way into my stand-up comedy. I think the basis of comedy is that two people can disagree and still laugh about it under the same roof.I’ve been doing this for ten years.”

Vir shares an easy relationship with his creativity. “I let my art do all the talking. I sometimes feel the art I put out is smarter than me because of the people I get to collaborate with. As you do this longer and longer you may not get better or funnier, but you are certainly able to access your emotions better. The material in your art becomes more liberated because you know who you are.”