History of India - VIRitten’, a witty re-look at the country’s rich past, was performed by actor-comedian Vir Das at Chowdaiah Memorial Hall recently.
Striking the right balance between history and humour that could be extracted from past events, producer Ashvin Gidwani’s new show proved to be a big success among Bangaloreans.
‘My name is Sreesanth and tonight’s show is fixed’ was all that was needed to get the show started. Using graphics and photographs in the background to add an extra visual element, Vir covered a lot of ground in his content — dating back to the Vedas and the freedom movement, right up to trade liberalisation in the early 90s.
Since he had specified that it would not be a factually-correct account of history,
the scope for humour was infinite.
Not only did he make ‘Knock Knock’ jokes on the Buland Darwaza; even the Upanishads and Puranas were not spared and presented in a hilarious light.
“There are jokes and there are mini-jokes. Please try to laugh at both of them,” he urged, though there was no need for that to be said. With his impeccable stage presence, it was clearly not much of a challenge for him and he kept the crowds roaring with laughter throughout.
Among other things, Genghis Khan was compared to a ‘cross between Versace and Mamata Banerjee’, naughty jokes were made about famous Indian authors and possible conversations were enacted based on the scenario that Vasco Da Gama landed in Calcutta instead of Calicut.
Despite the heavy rains, which caused the show to start late, Vir performed to a packed house. When he picked on some unfortunate member of the audience, it gave some relief to the non-history buffs around. But for those who shared his enthusiasm for history, it was pleasant to see the lighter side of Indian history in a dramatised form.
“It was the right dose of comedy for such a subject, which is why it wasn’t as offensive as it could have been. It was nice to see the events that have shaped our lives in a new light. I liked the simplicity of the sets and his costume as well,” said Jayaprakash, who attended the show.