Vir
Das’
comedy
amuses
even
those
who
didn’t
expect
to
be
amused
in
the
first
place,
discovers
Utkarsh
Mishra.
Vir
Das’
latest
Netflix
special,
Fool
Volume,
begins
with
him
greeting
the
audience
in
three
cities,
London,
Mumbai
and
New
York
City.
It
cuts
between
Das
performing
the
same
stand-up
set
in
London
and
Mumbai,
48
hours
apart,
and
then,
48
hours
later,
delivering
another
performance
in
NYC.
This
structure
is
used
intelligently
to
anchor
the
special,
ensuring
that
none
of
the
cuts
feel
random
and
everything
flows
smoothly.
The
story
is
woven
around
Das
losing
his
voice
six
weeks
before
the
performance
and
regaining
it
only
10
days
prior
to
the
recording.
And
if
you
find
the
initial
few
minutes
confusing,
do
not
quit.
Even
if
you
don’t
find
yourself
smiling
in
the
first
five-eight
minutes,
hang
in
there.
Your
patience
will
be
rewarded.
I
say
this
as
someone
who
wasn’t
very
keen
on
watching
it;
someone
who
had
—
and
perhaps
still
has
—
this
perception
of
Das
as
an
elite
comedian.
Especially
after
he
won
the
Emmy,
Das
seems
quite
mindful
of
this
perception
and,
therefore,
addresses
it
in
the
show.
It
helps
allay
your
apprehension
about
him
being
pretentious.
You
realise
that
while
he
may
seem
better
suited
for
a
certain
kind
of
audience,
his
comedy
is
intelligent
enough
to
transcend
those
barriers
and
amuse
even
those
who
didn’t
expect
to
be
amused
in
the
first
place.
The
setups
and
jokes
that
seem
mundane
in
the
beginning
offer
riveting
twists
toward
the
end.
And
amidst
these
jokes
that
elicit
laughter,
he
drops
some
brilliant
insights
on
what
happiness
is,
what
freedom
is,
what
life
is
—
insights
that
leave
you
in
awe,
merely
because
of
the
way
they
are
expressed.
Since
the
show
was
recorded
a
few
months
earlier,
some
punchlines,
in
today’s
context,
seem
to
have
‘aged
really
well’.
Of
course,
the
limits
and
consequences
of
intelligent
comedy
in
New
India
are
discussed,
which
again,
is
not
just
funny,
but
profound.
You
are
treated
to
the
tale
of
an
artist’s
nervous
breakdown
right
after
reaching
the
pinnacle
of
his
career,
to
the
power
of
human
emotions,
and
to
the
inhibitions
of
our
mind
that
consciously
and
unconsciously
limit
our
expressions.
Fool
Volume
is
all
about
Das
finding
his
volume
after
a
long
period
of
silence
—
not
just
literally,
but
figuratively.
As
he
explains:
‘When
you
are
not
constantly
thinking
about
whether
you
can
speak,
you
can
speak.’
It
ventures
into
the
realm
of
whether
anything
but
our
own
thoughts
truly
tame
our
free
will.
Obviously,
one
must
be
ready
to
face
the
consequences,
as
Das
and
other
comedians
do.
And
since
they
are
able
to
laugh
away
the
seriousness
of
those
consequences,
they
could
be
called
fools.
But
if,
fearing
the
consequences,
the
fool
in
us
gives
way
to
the
prudent,
we
lose
our
voice
—
the
voice
that
even
the
mighty
fear,
and
therefore
always
strive
to
silence.
The
only
way
to
deal
with
them
is
for
more
and
more
fools
to
find
their
volume.
PS:
That
volume
briefly
turns
cacophonous
when
Das
plays
around
with
a
popular
cuss
word
(after
invoking
the
legendary
Freddie
Mercury,
no
less).
Although
a
minor
aberration,
it
still
warrants
a
half-star
deduction
in
the
final
rating.
Vir
Das:
Fool
Volume
streams
on
Netflix.
Vir
Das:
Fool
Volume
Review
Rediff
Rating:
