Vir Das Quotes

#1. 'Badmaash Company' and 'Delhi Belly' was about friends, and I was part of the gang. And yes, they did have stars playing the lead! You do need a star to sell a film; and playing the second lead doesn't bother me.

Vir Das

#2. If you are known to do something well, people want to see you do that. But what you choose to do is up to you. After 'Delhi Belly,' I got some 40 scripts - some on the same lines as 'Delhi Belly.' So, I guess people only get stereotyped if they want to.

Vir Das

#3. When it comes to English stand-up comedy, Indians have only seen the best - Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Cosby and the like. So, when someone claims to be an English stand-up comedian in India, he'd better be very good if he's going to make a life of it.

Vir Das

#4. It might sound cliched, but choosing the right script is crucial. I think 'Badmaash Company' was a very big break for me because it gave me a lot of appreciation from the masses. It made me more confident as an actor.

Vir Das

#5. Women do come up to me after a show, but it's usually to say, 'Yhank you for making us laugh,' and all that.

Vir Das

#6. I was only 24 years old when a lady called Sabina Sehgal Saikia - the then 'Delhi Times' editor - asked me to host the 'Times Food Guide Awards,' so it was with The 'Times of India' that my career began in this field.

Vir Das

#7. I feel like I share a great relationship with my audience where they trust my judgment and choice of films and sense of comedy.

Vir Das

#8. I got 'Delhi Belly' and 'Badmaash Company' because people from the production house had seen my stand-up comic acts in a DVD that was lying in their offices. It's been a weird journey, and I think weird goes with me.

Vir Das

#9. In Bollywood, I think Boman Irani and Vinay Pathak are unbelievably good at comedy.

Vir Das

#10. A lot of people do comedy about India, but they're not from India. It's a Kwik-E-Mart perspective. I want to provide a genuine view and maybe one on how we see the West.

Vir Das

#11. Class I to XII wasn't much help; I was always a mediocre student. But when I pursued higher education and studied economics with theatre or psychology with science fiction, I got a whole new world view.

Vir Das

#12. I've been reading a lot of books on history, and watching a lot of educational TV. Wikipedia too, even though it is not reliable.

Vir Das

#13. What is important to me as an actor is that, even if I have to spread my arms, take my shirt off on a mountain top with my heroine in a chiffon sari, it still has to be me and my twist or my funny take on it.

Vir Das

#14. To me, the trick is not how can I make people laugh. It is, how can I make people laugh in a different way.

Vir Das

#15. For me, it is very important to believe in the kind of movies I do. 'Rang De Basanti' made me feel good about Indian cinema. The movie instilled in me a confidence so strong, that I wanted to be a part of the revolution in Bollywood.

Vir Das

#16. I auditioned nine times for 'Delhi Belly,' and it was torturous!

Vir Das

#17. What I tell a girl is, your six-pack hot boyfriend right now, in six years, will be balding and maybe have a paunch. But I make you laugh every five minutes today, and I'll make you laugh 20 years from now; that's not going to go away.

Vir Das

#18. Stand-up comedy is a lot about amplifying emotions and situations; movie acting has a lot to do with mellowing things down and making them subtle. The transition was almost terrifying because of the magnitude of change.

Vir Das

#19. You realise the responsibility of carrying a film on your shoulders when people are investing money in you and they recognise the hard work you have to put in.

Vir Das

#20. Comedy comes from confusion.

Vir Das

#21. Alien Chutney is just what the name suggests it is. Its music that is so funny and quirky and weird that it feels entirely alien to the listener; yet, the content and the subject matter is so Indian and relatable, it's still chutney.

Vir Das

#22. I've a belt that I have worn for every single stand-up comedy session since I was 19. I fear if I ever lose it, my career would crumble. That's my one OCD.

Vir Das

#23. I am a big fan of Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller, who have carved a niche for themselves. I think doing different kind of films gives you longevity and the ability to set yourself apart.

Vir Das

#24. Delhi women - they're the most beautiful women! But the fact remains that they know they are gorgeous.

Vir Das

#25. Someday social media might, hopefully in some small measure, wake up to the fact that other people's failures are not your successes.

Vir Das

#26. Comedy is a live art, and the only way to record a comedy rock album is to do it live. The audience and their laughter is just as much a part of the album sound as our music. No retakes, no room for error.

Vir Das

#27. I'm a stand-up comedian-turned-actor-turned-vampire at night.

Vir Das

#28. In 'Delhi Belly,' I was bald; in other movies I always carried a different look.

Vir Das

#29. I love the food, the girls, the sky and everything that is Delhi. I have very fond memories of the Moolchand flyover.

Vir Das

#30. Whether I am on a stage, behind a guitar or in front of a camera, I get paid to misbehave. Fortunately, misbehaviour is something I have unlimited supply of.

Vir Das

#31. The idea is to do out-of-the-box films that showcase my versatility and talent.

Vir Das

#32. I fear debt. I don't like being indebted to banks. I have a rule in life that I will get it when I can afford it.

Vir Das

#33. Whatever movies I sign, they have to get me out of my comfort zone. Otherwise, I would get bored very easily.

Vir Das

#34. I'm kind of a rebound junkie. So. when a relationship goes sour, I look at the sweetness in life elsewhere. So, I date a bit. The best catharsis is to write jokes and tell 4,000 people about it.

Vir Das

#35. I do films which get me out of my comedian routine so that I don't get bored being a stand-up comedian. And with films, it's here today, gone tomorrow. So stand-up comedy is here to stay for me.

Vir Das

#36. I have a rule - 'funny is funny!' When I write comedy, it's not my aim to upset people. I will be offensive, edgy and immature, but I will also be very intelligent and relevant. At my shows, there are no holy cows.

Vir Das

#37. Surround yourself with a bunch of like-minded people, and you'll soak up their habits like a starved sponge. Fat people with fat friends care less about their weight.

Vir Das

#38. Movies require a lot of patience. I like instant results. If I have done something that's not funny at all, the audience will let me know in two seconds. With the movie, I will have to wait nine months to know if I was that bad.

Vir Das

#39. I am edgy, raw, offensive, vulgar, untruthful, but intelligent. My jokes are always realistic. I do not make fun of children or people who cannot fight back. That is my limitation.

Vir Das

#40. Time management is the mantra of my life.

Vir Das

#41. All of the films I'm doing are young, urban, high-concept, funny films. That's the zone where I'd like to play and have fun in.

Vir Das

#42. My personal favorite is Woody Allen, who is just amazing as a comedian.

Vir Das

#43. I am honestly very intimidated when I meet new people and they expect me to be the onscreen Vir. On stage, I say a lot of things I might never say in real life; I am never the life of the party. People are quite surprised to see that I am more of a quiet artiste off stage.

Vir Das

#44. Anybody with a sharp brain and a mic can become a comedian, but there's a need to move beyond it. The audience wants to witness the marriage of theatre, comedy and something more.

Vir Das

#45. In a big Bollywood romantic film, taking my shirt off and spreading the hand towards the mountain with dancers behind me are not my cup of tea.

Vir Das

#46. I did theatre in the U.S. because there, content-wise, it's very light. In India, theatre tends to get preachy.

Vir Das

#47. I don't think one gets to choose the kind of comedy he/she does. I may not talk about Rahul Gandhi's take on an ordinance, but I will talk about things as simple as a 'chappal' or a 'sherwani.' My comedy is about small things, and that is how it connects.

Vir Das

#48. A stand-up comedian will never be the life of a party. Instead, he will be the guy who is standing at a corner and observing people.

Vir Das

#49. I wouldn't call myself successful, just obsessively exhausted. The music makes me smile, the movies make me feel humbled, and the comedy saves my life every day.

Vir Das

#50. While Mumbai is a melting pot of cultures, Delhi is made of community, and we can see these lines quite clearly. An aunty from Punjabi Bagh will be different from a Faridabad aunty or an aunty from Vasant Kunj.

Vir Das

#51. Relationship humour gets the most laughs. If I'm able to get the women laughing, men will have to laugh along because they would be scared to death.

Vir Das

#52. In Bollywood, people struggle because there is a new person joining every week, who joins an assembly line of people who are very replaceable. But if you are unique, you don't have to struggle that much.

Vir Das

#53. I think of myself as an Indian comedian, but I've had British and American schooling. I always had this feeling of not fitting in anywhere, of observing situations from the outside.

Vir Das