Stand-up comedian Vir Das hits pause to take a humorous look at his journey so far
The multi-faceted Vir Das is reviewing the script of his own life — the stand-up comedian and actor turns author with The Outsider: A Memoir for Misfits, an apt title for the autobiography of someone who’s made a career out of standing apart.
The book is a tongue-in-cheek retelling of his life, from his early days in Lagos, Nigeria, the harrowing years in boarding school, the chaos of Noida and Delhi, the pursuit of the great American dream and the hustle to find his ‘calling,’ to his eventual rise on the world stage. Witty, self-aware, and deeply personal, it reflects the same irreverent honesty that has come to define his comedy.
“You have to own your life story, and you have to find gratitude in the kind of journey that you’ve had, whatever kind of journey it may be. I think, weirdly, for me, I have found a certain amount of gratitude in how confused I’ve been. Please don’t get me wrong, wonderful things have happened in my life. Very few people have achieved the kind of success that warrants a massive memoir. I’m not on that list. I’m on the list of people who are kind of drifting and still searching, but I think that’s a pretty long list. So that’s the story I wanted to tell.”
Was writing the book a kind of catharsis? “It did cause a certain amount of reflection. You have to remember, this is like a midlife memoir,” says the 46-year-old. “The wisdom will come later, but I wanted to write this now because I do think the discussion of confusion should be had midstream and not in retrospect.”
He struggled to get into an American college at 20, but he’s now busy promoting his book across Ivy League campuses in the West. He had to work hard to make a career out of stand-up comedy, but today he holds an Emmy for Best Comedy Series for his show Landed. If he were to meet his younger self today, what would he tell him?
“I would tell him that he has amazing willpower that allows him to carry through his decision to do something, and make it happen. But I would also tell him to keep in mind that when he does get there, it will probably be something else.”
The book also offers an unfiltered glimpse into Vir’s heartbreaks. He recounts with disarming humour how he was often the one being dumped. From those bruised beginnings and the grind of finding his footing on stage — from being a ‘nobody’ to eventually writing lines for Shah Rukh Khan and working in Aamir Khan’s production Delhi Belly —Vir chronicles it all with the same wry candour that defines his stage comedy. “I got to see at a very young age the kind of dedication that people at the top of their game have, and their open-mindedness towards all levels of talent. I learned a lot in a passive way, like a fly on the wall,” he shares.
He documents SRK’s heart-warming call to him in 2022, when he found himself in hot water after his Two Indias show. “I think he does that for everybody. I think mine will be one of six lakh Shah Rukh Khan stories. In the entertainment industry, everybody’s got a wonderful story about that man’s friendship and hospitality.”
Though he says it’s highly unlikely that his memoir will ever be made into a series, Vir is all set to reprise his role as the narcissistic and arrogant news anchor in Season 2 of Call Me Bae. “We start shooting in three days. I didn’t expect to be in Season 2. I’m just telling myself, ‘My god, there’s all these expectations, and it’s an opportunity to unlock some serious joy.’ That’s it. It’s not about applause at all. I like the pressure.”
