At the Jaipur Literature Festival, comedian Vir Das shared thoughts on Indian comedy, censorship, and audience silence. He stated that suppressing comedy in India is impossible due to the world's largest smartphone audience. Das also discussed his new book and film.
During the Jaipur Literature Festival, Vir Das engaged with reporters on the current climate for comedy in India. He remarked, 'My jokes are very much the same abroad as they are in India. I do exactly the same show no matter where—Mars, Pluto, Bhopal or New York.' Citing India's vast scale, Das argued that curbing comedy is futile amid the country's digital reach. 'We have the largest smartphone audience in the world. We have the youngest working population under 35. We have the quickest internet virality for comedy. So it is quite simply impossible to suppress any sort of content in India. The audience is just way too large.'
Das expressed faith in audiences: 'I trust the audience implicitly.' He described the Indian audience as the best platform for young artists to embrace comedy. On crafting stories, he advised, 'I try to be authentically myself. That’s the best bet.'
Addressing silence over satire, Das noted, 'Silence is the best kind of satire.' He illustrated with a Mumbai example: an audience's quiet response to a joke about well-built Andheri roads conveys more than laughter. 'If the audience is silent, they are telling you way more than when they laugh. I’ve always maintained that comedians just say the words. The audience tells people.'
Regarding his directorial debut film 'Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos', a niche absurd comedy, Das highlighted its modest budget. 'We are less than the catering budget of Aditya Dharr’s Dhurandhar. That is why to open how we did, we are very happy.' On his recently released book, he declared, 'I’m never writing another book again. It’s just my stories. That’s memory.'
Reflecting on kindness, Das shared lessons from senior actors: 'A random act of kindness can change somebody’s life.' He aims to support emerging comedians. On backlash, he urged, 'Try not to demonise the audience who does not enjoy your work. I take feedback head down, mouth shut.'