Vir Das: Landing is the latest standup special from Indian Comedian Vir Das (Abroad Understanding, Losing it) where he presents his innate thoughts on a diverse range of topics like Cancel Culture, Gender Spectrum, Air India Flight, Love, Hate and his infamous Two India controversy. The total length of the special is one hour and six minutes and is written and directed by the artist himself.
-Vir Das Landing Review Does Not Contain Spoilers-
The standup special starts with Vir, sprinkling some sand on the floor while initiating the conversation with his audience. The sand itself works as a vital element of the hour-long special, which plays an important role in establishing the emotional context, which is sure shot to give you some goosebumps in the end.
The Emmy-nominated comedian dives straightaway into his strong capabilities of humourous comparisons and doesn’t waste a single frame to generate the reaction (that he wants) from the audience. The kind of hold that Vir Das exhibits in this standup, is a clear example of his seasoned professionalism in the business, which has only become more evoking over time.
I couldn’t help but remember the subtle distinction Steve Martin pointed out in his masterclass, during the first half of the standup. Martin stated that a comedian doesn’t need to wait for the entirety of the response, and needs to command the engagement of the audience. It’s like, the comedian is the one who should hold the reigns of the reactions, not the other way around. Something which is enacted brilliantly by Das in this special, and also makes the audience catch up with the genius, rather than wait dull fully.
The humour is sharp and funny as usual, but not the central quality of the show. This time around, it’s about Vir’s personal conversation with the audience that sucked him out of a very dark place and made him more refined as a comedian, and as a human being. He further talks about sensitive issues like suicide, volatile sexuality and a lot more, with a constant layer of seasoned jokes, that switch you back and forth between emotions.
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The standup is raw, committed and present in general. Plus, I know there is a lot of debate in the comedy world around the duties of a comedian. Whether he should make you feel different things, make you cry, make you vulnerable, or just stick to his well-timed jokes. Thereby serving the Lordship of humour and humour alone. More like the good old way of Norm Macdonald.
But I find Vir Das as a performer, with a robust attitude to take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions, who uses laughter as the lubricant, and not as the sole ingredient (standup special reviews cannot be completed without a contraceptive metaphor). Maybe, that’s why he is unique, connected and possibly the most impactful storyteller of our generation.
Vir Das Landing Final Thoughts
There is literally no reason why you should miss out on this tremendously engaging special. That has all the elements of a perfect story, along with a heart-touching ending.
You can stream the standup special on Netflix. P.S. if you, by any chance, spotted my stereotypical name being referenced in one of the bits, then let me know a thing or two about it in the comment section below.
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