Vir Das Outside in the Lockdown Special, written, directed and edited by Vir Das himself is a complication of snippets from a series of stand-up shows he performed over Zoom for charity, along with his thoughts during the lockdown. It is 50 minutes of absolutely raw, relatable and intimate documentation of what most of us have gone through the lockdown.
Vir Das began every show by asking the audience the same question, “What is the first thing you would do when the world re-opens?” The audience would yell out in response and Vir Das would take it on from there, making the audience laugh and forget about their troubles. Apart from the candidness that we got to see from the audience, we got an insight into Vir Das’s life, all of which was a hundred per cent relatable.
His shows brought together people from all over the world, right from people in Africa and Ireland to families in Baroda. People came together to forget their troubles as well as help each other out during these difficult times. One such incident was when an audience member shared with the rest that he was supposed to go to America for his higher studies but couldn’t due to the pandemic, everyone empathised with him.
It is absolutely priceless to see Vir Das’s reaction when he hears the toilet flush during one of his shows. Apart from countless jokes about 2020 itself, the source of the pandemic, Donald Trump and being a left-winger, Vir Das shares with us the entire incident that went down when someone sneezed on him.
From the beginning, Vir Das was very candid in Vir Das Outside in the Lockdown – the messy hair, the signature cap and his feelings in general. Being a celebrity himself, he very openly shared with the audience when things got mentally tough for him. On hearing one of the audience members struggles, he even tells himself to toughen up.
Additionally, during Vir Das Outside in the Lockdown, as an ongoing joke, on the right-hand corner, there would a completely different date like 600BC or 2078 while he was talking.
My favourite part of Vir Das Outside in the Lockdown was the ending when we were shown what happened with some of the audience members after the lockdown was lifted, like clips and pictures of them doing the things they wanted to do once restrictions were eased. Someone reunited with family and someone got their oriental food. All of which was heartwarming.
Stream it or Skip it?
Stream it! This is 50 minutes of heartwarming laughter and emotions. Honestly, this film was so unscripted and raw it did not feel like I was watching stand-up. I did not want it to end. Vir Das Outside in the Lockdown is a short, funny pleasing and wholesome must watch.
Vir Das Outside in the Lockdown Special is now streaming on Netflix.
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