Vir Das is back — this time with history, sex and Bollywood. As the 34 year-old gets set for his play, History Vritten in New Delhi, he tells Shalini Saksena that he finds India’s past very, very funny
Most of us have seen Vir Das’ stand-up comedy act and come to the conclusion that they are extraordinary. The acts are not just about making a dig at the political scenario in the country, they come with a lot of subtle sexual innuendos too. He is a performer, an actor and a comedian who knows how to keep the audience enthralled — with never a dull moment. His latest venture, by Ashvin Gidwani Productions, History of India, a two-hour play (including a 15-minute introduction by Kavi Shashtri) is bound to tickle the funny bone.
Speaking about the show, Ashvin Gidwani tells you that after the success of Walking On Broken Das he decided to bring Indian history to life. “History as a subject is enjoyed only by a few but this was one opportunity to reach it out to a larger audience, coupling our heritage with the lighter side of life,” Gidwani says, adding that the only way to entertain an audience that is extremely intelligent is to tell a story in a witty way.
But the show is not all about being funny, there is a lot that one can learn like how the first emperor of ancient India took orders from a fish and how Akbar not only had a Hindu wife but a Christian one as well. This combined with Das’ obsession with sex and Bollywood and one can expect a laughathon. The show, a joint initiative of Das and Ashvin Gidwani Productions, will ensure that the audience will love history as a subject after this play. The reason for casting DasIJ
“The idea of doing History of India is his. Vir is one of the very few I know who can carry such a difficult subject eloquently,” Gidwani says. Does his production house face competition from Bollywood which releases movies on a weekly basisIJ
“In fact, we can give the movies a run for their money. We can proudly say that we are their direct competition,” Gidwani says.
Vir-ta ki kahani
What made you do History of IndiaIJ
I’ve been a History buff since childhood. I always found the history class in school was boring and wondered how it could be made more fun. You know how you would sit at the back and crack stupid jokes with your friends. That’s what this show is all about — the funny side of events are actually very serious and haven't been questioned so far.
Which funny elements of history have you highlighted in your playIJ
The Vedas, the Upanishads, the Mughals, the Marathas, the freedom struggle, the 50s, 90s and 2000s. It’s our entire journey as a nation and everything that was funny about it. One can expect a lot of holy cows and close to home jokes.
Any concerns you may have had before you took up the projectIJ
Not really. I had the full support of Ashvin Gidwani Productions. We were confident that if the show came from a patriotic and funny enough place it will be well appreciated. The programme really does show that I love this country, enough to parody it.
Many will say that history of India is no laughing matter. Your takeIJ
I think it’s funny, whether it is a laughing matter or not is for you to know, the audience will love it. So far, I’ve been hearing a lot of laughter.
The one thing that the audience will take away after watching the showIJ
We shouldn’t take everything so seriously. It’s a trip down memory lane from an optimistic place. It’s a chance to be stupid and tell people that being stupid is okay.