Interprete Me

Vir Das: Losing It is the kind of stand-up that has become very famous in the United States today. It’s the comedy that plays with the clash of culture. Here the Indian comedian makes fun of his experiences around the world, beyond, of course, the time he toured North America and discovered all the veiled prejudices that exist in Western society (watch here).

But the show doesn’t just talk about it. It also talks about the comedian himself that got lost in the middle of initial success and sank into failure. Therefore, Vir Das: Losing It also comments on how he managed to rise after reaching the bottom of the pit of his career. Sometimes his jokes are funny; but at other times they seem out of place.

Stage experience

Vir Das, the Indian comedian who stars in “Losing It”, knows what he’s talking about. He already has great experience in the area, where he has been acting professionally since 2005. He is well known in India, where he makes films for Bollywood, and also became famous for presenting “News on the Loose” on CNBC. All these credentials make him a man with stage experience, and who knows how to dominate an audience. For that, he was the first Indian to have a comedy show on Netflix, “Abroad Understanding”, in 2017. Now he comes back with a new stand-up where he can spread his style freely, as it always has.

In Vir Das: Losing It, the focus is on the estrangement between cultures. The comedian talks about his works outside of India, and how he is generally received by people in other countries, especially the United States. Of course, this is a way of exposing prejudices, since the population of India is always the object of mockery and irony in the West, apart from the stereotype issue that also bothers greatly. Vir Das tries to reveal this with very pertinent jokes that make the San Francisco public – where the special was recorded – laugh a lot, but also certainly made them think how they see the immigrants or visitors from other countries.

In that sense, Vir Das: Losing It is a good show. By the time he talks about these subjects, it’s really funny without letting go of social criticism, as any good comedy show should be. The stand-up format is getting sore, so it is important to give relevance to this showcase, which may serve to make fun, but also to show the audience something that they may haven’t seen yet. Unfortunately, Vir Das soon stumbles.

Somewhat sexist

Vir Das: Losing It was going well until it came to the topic of women. When the comedian begins to talk about on ways to approach and please them, he tries to print the same style of humor he had been using until then, but ends up sounding rather sexist. Jokes that involve female behavior are dangerous: it is difficult to make fun that fits well, without sounding offensive or sexist. In some moments Vir Das even manages that, but in others he sounds embarrassing.

Weighing the pros and cons, there are reasons to watch Vir Das: Losing It. He is a good man on stage, knows the time of the jokes and also understands how to tell a good story. It’s a shame that at times he slips and lets a kind of macho humor grow, so common in this type of comedy. It’s a pity, in fact.

You can also like Out of Many, One, Russell Brand: Re:birth, John Leguizamo’s Latin History for Morons, The Degenerates and Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj.

Additional information about Vir Das: Losing It Netflix

Synopsis 1: His feet are firmly planted on two sides of the world. And, from where he’s standing, humankind looks pretty ridiculous.

Synopsis 2: Comedian Vir Das tackles nationalism, globalism, good food and bad politics in two cleverly crosscut performances in New York and New Delhi.

Age rating: 14;

Release year: 2017.