JOIN USAfter the huge success of Queen, the audiences eagerly waited for the release of Revolver Rani that would see Kangana Ranaut in yet another stimulating role.
However, while Kangana won many hearts, the surprise package in the film turned out to be stand-up-artiste-turned actor Vir Das, who had got a role very close to the lead. While Das started acting in films in 2007 with a small role in Namastey London, his major breakthrough came with the dark comedy Delhi Belly (2011), in which he played a prominent part and was even applauded for his perfect comic timing.
The journey
From being a complete outsider in film industry to doing small roles and eventually progressing to supporting roles and leads, Das has come a long way. “There’s a tremendous amount of change in my life, especially this year is going to be a year of change,” he says humbly.
From performing stand-up acts to portraying the small character of a prospective groom in Namastey London to taking up the role of an antagonist — Rohan Mehra in Revolver Rani about which he wasn’t very sure if he should do it, Das’s journey in the industry has been one to reckon with. Das was kind of oblivious of the response that Rohan has got. He says that he is surprised to see the way his Twitter account has exploded. “Rohan is not a nice guy. And when people wrote that they hated him in the movie, I felt good, as my ulterior motive was that,” he says and adds, “Revolver Rani is my gateway between supporting and lead role. Now all the upcoming movies will see me doing lead characters.”
In the next 15 months, Das will be seen in five films portraying different characters and experimenting with genres other than comedy. “The five leads is a good way to flag off the year of experiments,” says Das, while talking about his upcoming films that include 1984 — a thriller based on the anti-Sikh riots after Indira Gandhi’s assassination, Amit Sahani Ki List — a romcom, Santa Banta — a family entertainer, Saxx Ki Dukaan — an adult comedy with Das in double role, and a romance — Khanna Patel.
The drama and thriller 1984 is something that the actor is looking forward to, as it would see him in an intense character. “It is the story of an innocent couple, played by me and Soha Ali Khan, who are entrapped in a difficult situation,” says Das. The film industry is known to be ruthless, especially to people who don’t have a background in films, who are complete outsiders like him. But even here, Das found his way.
He says, “I kind of shortcut my way into the industry, because of my stand-up comedy acts. Usually, you have to do the long struggler line, you have to find a godfather, who would champion you and put money behind you etc. But comedy worked for me. It gave me a direct route to enter. Initially, the industry is quite resistant to people like me — a model-turned actor, a cricketer-turned actor, or a comedian-turned actor. But ultimately, it all boils down to your performance in the first few films.”
Learning the ropes
The actor doesn’t shy away from admitting that before Delhi Belly, he hadn’t quite figured out how to do the roles that he was given. “I was happy doing smaller roles, as I was getting exposed to new things every day. It’s taken this long just to learn how to act in films,” he says, and adds that Rohan’s character in Revolver Rani has helped him a great deal.
With so many films in his kitty, one would think that his first love, stand-up comedy, would have taken a backseat by now. But no, stand-up still takes the similar amount of time from him. “I perform for the same number of people. I may not be able to do as many shows as I used to do in a week, but I’m still hitting the same number of people within fewer shows. The shows are selling out and we are doing well,” he says.
However, he doesn’t deny that he may have to cut back a bit, as the film front is bustling now. “I have an urge to do the stand-up acts every few days. I do that and I come back as a more grounded person. I feel Bollywood is a self-indulgent bubble at times. Sometimes, the love and appreciation that you get goes to your head and for that reason I really value stand-up comedy. When you perform in front of 2,000 people, they don’t care how big a star you are, all they care about is the act. That gives you a reality check,” he concludes.