“When I first started in India, stand-up was a very posh thing,” says Das.
“It was almost entirely confined to country clubs,” with the comedian continuing to affirm that this was just as banal as it sounded. Yet, rather than be impugned by the circumstances, Das saw an opening few others would dare look at.
“There were a wave of young fans looking for something more. So all of a sudden I found myself standing on stage talking about my balls and pretty soon the kids followed.” From here the comedian has seemingly gone from strength to strength, selling over half a million tickets for his two stand-up tours across India, the US and UK on his way to becoming India’s highest selling English-speaking comedian.
The talented Mumbai local has also established himself as quite the formidable force in Bollywood, with his decade-long career producing ten films, with two more to come later this year. Moreover, his scarily impressive resume has seen him establish the Weirdass Pajama Festival, that – like all things Das – has quickly grown from a one city festival that saw 4,000 people attend in its first year to a three city one that accounted for over 29,000 people merely two years later – although he jokingly notes that he is “yet to make a fucking cent”.
Rather than rest on his laurels, Das has done the complete opposite, with the announcement of his international Boarding Das Tour coming at arguably the busiest time of the man’s life. And while it may seem like a peculiar time to announce such an all-consuming endeavor, the comedian hardly sees it so.
“I have what I want, this is all about self discovery,” states Das, while also pointing to the success of Indian comedians Aziz Ansari and Russell Peters as further proof as to why the time is now to embark on another international tour.
“Every culture has their own hybrid form of comedy,” he says. And while India can lay claim to a more theatrical form of stand up – one Das likens to a performance or a piece of theatre rather than strictly “standing around and telling jokes” – the comedian definitely has his own twist on the form. If an interview with The Times of India is any indication, then Australian audiences can expect a fully fledged performance mixed with a comedian who at times may forget to listen to his mother’s advice not to discuss dicks on stage.
Indeed, Das is excited for his chance to do just that on his upcoming world tour, one the comedian notes will truly be “a journey back to zero”.
By Declan Harrick
