Vir Das thinks people in India lack sense of humour

Vir Das (right, bottom) is completely in love with his job. The stand-up comedian enjoys doing shows in India. But the 37-year-old has complaints too as he wants Indians to have a better sense of humour.

“We, Indians read too much into the jokes, which should not be taken seriously. They are not made to hurt or malign anyone, but to make people laugh. Sadly, we make a big deal about them. We need to learn to have a sense of humour,” says Vir, who will soon launch a world tour spanning 26 countries and six continents. “In my shows too, I talk about the history of India [Mahatma] Gandhi, freedom struggle, Mahabharta among many other things. I won’t shy away from making jokes because I know it’s just a joke and nothing more,” he adds.

He believes that the comedians are not responsible for influencing people’s opinions through their jokes. “It’s not a comedian’s job to create awareness about what’s going on. The onus is on everyone. Banning a comedian, or censoring their jokes isn’t the way to go about it. Censorship of any kind is wrong,” says the Delhi Belly actor. Vir often receives flak on social media for his jokes. “People forget that I’m a comedian. It’s my job to humiliate myself. I’ve said things that are far worse and meaner about myself than what they’ve ever said about me. So, I’m not bothered about what people have to say about that,” he says.