Congrats on the International Emmy.
Thank you.
I, uh--
[cheering, applause]
It is on sale if anyone's interested.
[laughs] What was that like?
It was surreal to--
well, two things.
Number one, it was just kind of nice to have
that many people listen to an Indian story
from across the world.
So that very nice.
It was an honor.
And then, the first thought was, how the hell
do I get this through JFK?
Uh, because it is very sharp, and you can murder someone
with an International Emmy, which doesn't
happen at the afterparty.
It's just-- and I'm typically used to being,
like, very nervous at JFK anyway.
KAL PENN: Sure, yeah.
So I just-- and when you have that statue with, like, the--
it's like I've metaphorically kidnapped a white lady.
So--
[laughter]
So the guy was just like, what's in the bag?
And I was like, it's an International Emmy.
And the guy at TSA was like, oh, word?
And-- and I was like, OK, precipitation.
'Cause that's a word.
I'm kidding.
That didn't happen before The New Yorker fact-checks me.
Yeah. KAL PENN: It's The Daily Show.
Nobody's going to fact-check you.
Yeah, it's fine. It's good.
KAL PENN: So look, this win was special, I assume,
because based on your standup special,
you thought at a point that your career was over.
You were called a terrorist.
There were criminal charges that
were filed against you for the 2021 poem, "Two Indias."
That was a gripping, reflective account
of political and social complexity in India.
And I have to be honest.
When I saw both of those-- both the poem and the special--
my only reaction was, this is a brother who loves his country
and just wants to make it better through conversation
and through art.
But not everybody had that reaction.
So talk me through that process and what happened.
Well, I mean, the central theme of the special, I think,
is that love is never yelled.
Love is felt. And that includes love for your country,
where it's never sort of a loud proclamation.
It's kind of a quiet demonstration.
And I don't think there's a better demonstration
of love than laughter.
And I think that, you know--
[cheering, applause]
If you love someone, you want to make them laugh,
and if they love you, they laugh back,
and that goes for your country, too.
But I was at the center of this controversy.
And I'm a small fish, so I'm not accustomed to that kind
of limelight.
And I think in America, for instance, if you're a big fish
and you're in a controversy, there are options, right?
So you can go on Oprah.
[laughter]
But then, you lose your bodyguards.
[laughter]
You could blame it on antibiotics.
[laughter]
Which doesn't work in India, because we
know a lot about antibiotics anyway, like.
Amoxicillin doesn't cause courage.
Or you could-- if you know Jada Pinkett Smith's publicist,
I guess she--
[laughter]
She is the internet right now.
I think she's both a wife and Wi-Fi.
And--
[laughter]
I didn't have any of those options.
So you kind of fall in love with your job all over again.
I was like, OK.
I will never lionize myself.
I will never victimize myself or take feedback head down.
And the first thing I do will write-- will be I'll
write a joke about it that hopefully
makes both sides laugh.
And four months later, this is what I wrote.
I wrote down saying--
I was on the BBC home page, and there
was a big headline that said, "Comedian
depolarizes the nation."
Do you know how badly you have to [bleep]
up before the British say--
Sorry.
Do you know how badly you have to [bleep]
up before the British say that you divided India?
[laughter]
But what happens then-- the point I'm making is,
a bad day in your life turns into laughter.
And I think happiness blooms when it's watched.
And you get to watch people be happy because of that.
And then, that turns into a gold statue someday,
and you're kind of reminded that comedy--
this job on its best day can sometimes be alchemy.
And it's kind of nice. Yeah.
KAL PENN: That's awesome.
That's very well said.
[cheering, applause]
The whole British thing reminded me-- my grandparents
were secular freedom fighters.
And so those were the stories that we
heard growing up as kids.
And that obviously influenced me later in life.
Recently, Prime Minister Modi was hosted by President Biden.
And during that visit, a lot of artists in the South
Asian-American space were having conversations
about our counterparts in India and free speech,
free speech and comedy, artistic expression.
And I'm curious how you've managed
to navigate that space.
Well, look, I mean, on one day,
our prime minister had dinner with Biden,
and the next day, Trevor Noah had dinner with Dua Lipa.
And--
[laughter]
I wasn't invited to either of those events, so--
[laughter]
I do think if you get to travel the world as much as I do, you
start to think of freedom of speech, which is
the big conversation around the world,
less locally and more emotionally.
And I think right now, whether you're in the Middle East
or whether you're in India, or whether you're in the West,
the conversation is freedom of speech.
And I think it's, yes, curtailed by authorities
at different levels in different places,
but more curtailed by the people around you.
We live in this world where you see somebody is just a box,
and you try and control their speech
as well for their ideas.
And so sometimes we blame it on these larger things above us,
but really, we're submitting to something scary inside us.
And if we can fight that primal urge to lash out
at each other, I think then the world just
gets better, freedom of speech-wise.
Like, here's how I think freedom of speech works.
It's like you and me on a train together, right?
And somewhere in the corner is a guy
who has his dick out, right?
KAL PENN: Which guy?
Just-- it's New York, so 50% of the compartment.
Yeah, but-- you and I can't do anything about the guy
with his dick out.
I-- I'm just talking to see if you see it, too.
Yeah.
And I think that's what freedom of speech is.
I just need to know that you also see the dick.
I just-- I have to give you so much props for this,
because this could have gone in two different directions.
This could have-- this could have ended up with, like,
The New York Times, Bombay Times, Times of-- all
of them just writing about some serious
political conversation.
And instead, it's like Kal Penn and Vir Das are on a train
with a dude whose dick is out.
There you go.
And that's--
[cheering, applause]
Thank you.
Really just elevating the humor in it.
So-- - I have to give you flowers.
So can I take a second to give you flowers, if that's OK?
Yes.
OK, so the reason that many Brown men like myself come
to America to try and act is because we
saw you be the first Indian Brown
man be edgy and cool and funny in American cinema.
[cheering, applause]
Thank you.
So I would like to thank you for ruining so many lives.
[laughter]
Because I came to college in America because I
saw Van Wilder.
Oh, my god.
And then, I went to college in Galesburg, Illinois,
and I'm like, where the [bleep] is this college where people
sleep with the Indian guys?
Kal Penn is a liar.
And just by the way, I think you know this.
Statistically, this is the sexiest accent in the world,
all right?
I'm just saying.
All right?
At this given moment, more women
are having sex with this accent than any other accent
in the world.
All right?
So in your face, France.
And also, you then do Harold and Kumar--
Yeah.
--where you go and get cheeseburgers,
and at the night-- at the end of the night,
you make up with your parents.
Do you know what would happen if I
told my parents I spent the whole night looking for beef?
[laughter]
Harold would go to White Castle.
Kumar would have an arranged marriage the next week, OK?
So but flowers.
KAL PENN: Well, thanks, brother.
Thank you.
And I have to say the--
[cheering, applause]
There were many very talented actors
who came before me who didn't have the same opportunities I
did, who also went to drama school, who
also worked their butts off.
And so I appreciate those accolades,
and I share it with them.
Before we let you go, I also--
I want to know about your tour.
It's a 33-country tour. - It is.
Yes.
And I want to know where you're going in the new tour.
But then, B, like, are there bits
that don't translate in some countries,
that people just don't find funny?
Do you have to curate it for each audience?
No.
I think now, it's kind of-- because of Netflixes
and Amazons and YouTubes, it's become more important to be
authentically Indian.
A Dave Chappelle gets to take you to Ohio.
I don't know a damn thing about Ohio,
but I go on that journey with him.
Why can't I take you to Mumbai?
Why can't I take you to Delhi?
And if you've never been, come over,
and at the end of the night, whether you're Indian or not,
you'll be Indian.
You know?
So come to my show.
I, uh--
[applause]
I'm going to be playing Carnegie Hall.
I think I'll be the first Indian comic to do it.
KAL PENN: Oh, right on. - Yeah.
KAL PENN: Congrats.
And we're doing the Kennedy Center and the Chicago Theater
and a bunch of theaters in January.
I'm looking forward to it.
It's large.
Congrats.
I can't-- I can't wait to-- can't wait
to check out the tour.
You're developing a comedy with my buddy, Andy Samberg.
Yes.
- Can you tell us about it? - I can.
OK.
I wanted to be in a TV show that was a modern immigration
story, but I wanted it-- because immigrants,
we always come over and do sensible stuff
in America, right?
And why take a 29-hour flight if you're
going to do something sensible when you land?
So I wanted to make the show where Americans and Indians
sit on a sofa and watch together,
but Indians get to come over and be
outrageous and ludicrous and enjoy America.
So my show is called Country Eastern,
and it's about me as a Brown, bearded Indian man
who becomes a country music singer in Memphis, Tennessee.
Yes!
[cheering, applause]
Yes!
I'm a huge country music fan, so that makes me--
that makes me very excited.
On your shows, you always end asking people
in your audience, what's the one thing
you want to say to the world?
Why do you do that?
I just think it's so interesting.
I have, I think, one of the smartest crowds in comedy.
And I say that to get their money.
I--
[laughter]
I just do.
I think a lot of comedy these days becomes about, look
at me, and look at my jokes, and look
at my pathos and my ethos.
But the audience has an equally loud voice as you do,
and I think there's no better teacher than their laughter
and their silence.
So sometimes I just like to put the camera on them
and say, look at who I have the privilege of performing for.
And some of it is great, and some of it
is, you know, what it is.
But-- but I think it's valuable to share your platform
with your audience sometimes.
That's the only reason I do it.
Do you-- do you still tour with Juhu Beach sand?
I-- OK, so in the special, I have some Indian soil.
Look, I'm a Brown man with a beard,
so traveling with a bag full of dust
internationally doesn't work out well for me anally.
But I, uh--
[laughter]
I try to.
Look, my shows are like this big reunion.
If you're not from India, you get integrated into India.
If you're Indian, you sometimes haven't
been in a room full of Indians in a really long time.
Do you know how many people hook up at my shows?
Like--
This is the best [bleep] ad ever.
Yeah.
Listen, I'm like Seema Auntie with a jawline, all right?
That's-- that's who I am.
Right?
Like, I have couples that are formed at my shows.
So it's this big India celebration.
It's kind of cool.
KAL PENN: Man, that's awesome.
Thank you so much for coming.
Vir will be performing his Mindfool world tour
to Carnegie Hall on January 19, with more stops in the US
in January and February.
Vir Das, everyone.