This time around, The Sherp had a casual tete-a-tete with the super talented and funny Vir Das about The Weirdass Pajama Festival. Read on to know what he has in store for this f(un)tastic three-city comedy event, his oddest festival experiences and how once he was mistaken for ‘the guy in Vicky Donor’.
1. Hey Vir, we’re pretty excited about the Weirdass Pajama fest – the roster looks awesome! Apart from moving to two more cities, what else is new for this year’s version?
There’s a LOT of new things in this year’s edition of the Weirdass Pajama! We’ve got fresh comedians who have feature slots, we have high concept shows like Blackout, where comedians will make you laugh but you won’t be able to see them. You can only hear them. We’ve also got a fantastic roster of international artists who are coming down to play the festival…these guys are seasoned comedians from UK, the USA, Singapore etc…and last but not the least, I’m debuting my brand new special ‘Unbelievablish’!
2. Did you expect the kind of positive response the fest got last year?
Well we had to look at a much bigger response than last year, because this is year two and we have to grow…and I think we’ve got it!
3. And what are you most excited about when it comes to this edition?
I’m excited about all of it! It’s going to be 4 days of mayhem all over the city, plus we’re debuting the festival in Pune and Delhi too! But if you’re talking about specific shows, I’m mad excited about the Salute of Johnny Lever, because he is somebody I look up to…so when we spoke to him about the festival, he said yes immediately and that was just amazing. Plus, we’ve got the Showstoppers! They’re Britain’s best improv troupe who put up a grand musical filled with song and dance routines made up entirely on the spot! And not to forget, we’ve got Femme Funny, which is an all-woman comedy gala!
4. You’ve stated earlier that Johnny Lever will be receiving King Of Comedy award at the festival and you’re a big fan of his. Tell us, what is the best thing you like about his comedy?
He is nothing short of a legend. I saw him perform in Lucknow when I was 12…he was just this guy on stage making thousands of people laugh and that made me think, ‘yeah this is what I want to do’. He’s someone who will have you in splits one minute, and then bring genuine tears in your eyes in the next, and then have you laughing again after that. That connect with the audience is something special.
5. What do you prefer, stand-up comedy or playing with Alien Chutney?
They’re like two of my children, so I can’t really pick one over the other. But they both give me different levels of satisfaction. With stand-up I feel happy that I’m making people laugh, and with Alien Chutney I feel happy that I’m making people laugh while playing out my fantasy of being in a rock band.
6. Out of the Weirdass lineup, which/who are the acts you think are a must-watch?
Showstoppers is a must watch act, because it’s something India has NEVER seen before. I saw them at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and it is by far one of the best live acts I’ve seen.
7. If you could pick a celebrity to roast, who would you pick and why?
I think it would be Suhel Seth…because he’s so outspoken and is so opinionated! It would be great to see a panel of comedians and a bunch of his friends give it back to him, no holds barred! And guess what…that’s exactly what’s happening in Delhi, at Siri Fort! On the 1st of Feb, 9 pm onwards is the Weirdass Tandoor of Suhel Seth! Get your tickets now!
8. From India’s upcoming bunch of comedians, who do you think will be the next big thing?
I’m extremely fond of Aditi Mittal. She’s got a unique voice, and that will take her places. Apart from her all my boys at Weirdass! Daniel Fernandes, Amogh Ranadive, Dhruv Deshpande, Siddharth Dudeja…there’s a reason they all work with me at Weirdass!
9. Do you have any advice to amateur comedians?
Keep your head down and keep working hard. Fame and success will automatically follow. Get as comfortable as you can on stage, and don’t let the success get to your head. You should be privileged to have the ability to make people laugh. We live in times when laughter is extremely necessary. So respect the art form and keep at it!
Since it’s called the ‘Weirdass Pajama Festival’, here are five weird questions
1. Have you ever touched a manboob?
Hahahah what?! Me? Touch a manboob! No! Never! (Yes. My own.)
2. What’s the weirdest joke you’ve heard?
“Knock knock.”
“Who’s there?”
“The.”
“The who?”
“Yeah, great band man.”
3. What’s the weirdest joke you’ve cracked?
I’m going to be cracking 90 minutes of them at my new show – Unbelievablish!Come check them out! Ishanya Mall Amphitheatre Pune on the 23rd of January,and St Andrews Auditorium on the 24th!
4. What’s been your weirdest fan experience?
This one time a fan came up to me and said, “HEY! Dude! I’m a big fan! I loved your work in Vicky Donor…”
5. The weirdest thing that has happened to you at a festival/event?
It was at this festival I attended…and it was so much fun! I had a total blast! Infact, I was so happy, I decided to do it again this year from the 23rd to the 26th of January in Mumbai and Pune and on the 1st of Feb in Delhi!