'When you miss India, you'll hear it before you see it. That's really where the idea started.'
'If you ever go to your terrace at night in India, you'll hear sounds from everywhere.'
'That feeling of hearing home in your head when you're far away... that's the soul of the show.'
Vir Das wants you to listen to the sounds of India.
And for that, he's devised a show that will start in Kanyakumari and go right up to Kashmir.
Called Sounds Of India, this will be the stand-up comic's largest ever India tour.
"It's my 20th year, I wanted to do something very, very special. So I wanted to write a show about India. It's kind of a love letter to India," Vir Das says at the launch.
Watch: Vir Das describes the show
Why make a stand-up comedy show based on sound?
I had been travelling for many years. This year alone, I went to 33 countries. Through all of that, I realised how much I miss India.
To truly understand and love something, sometimes, you have to miss it.
For me, memory feels like a voice. When you miss India, you'll hear it before you see it. That's really where the idea started.
If you ever go to your terrace at night in India, you'll hear sounds from everywhere.
What's beautiful is that all of us hear them equally, no matter where we are from.
That feeling of hearing home in your head when you're far away... that's the soul of the show.
So if you come to the show, you will hear over 65 sounds -- everything from nature to news to nostalgia.
The structure is a bit like a cricket match in its pace. It is fast, dynamic, and constantly changing.
We take you through every state in India.
Each state has a sound.
We will also include topical sounds that's been in the news that week. Because at the end of the day, it's a comedy show, and it should reflect what's happening.
Of these sounds, which is your favourite?
The sound of Mumbai's local train.
The best thing about this city is the way we redefine space. You know how in mathematics, Pi is 3.14, right? In Mumbai, it's 4.
Because in the train, even if there are three seats, we'll turn that into four.
We make space for every dream in that train.
That's why the Mumbai train sound is my favourite; it reminds me that there's room for everyone's dreams here.
What's the most irritating sound?
Influencer sounds. I won't name names.
If you come to the show, you will hear them and will recognise them immediately.
The loudest sound?
The voice of the news anchors.
Funniest sound?
There's a section in the show that pays tribute to the legendary Indian comedians from the '60s, '70s, and '80s -- especially those who haven't gotten enough credit.
The sound that reminds you of home?
Two, actually.
First, dogs. My wife and I adopted two strays in Goa. At around 3:30 pm, when the heat goes down, they start barking. That sound always reminds me of home.
The second is a Buddhist chant. My grandfather was a Buddhist leader, and people from all religions would come to our home and chant together.
That sound reminds me of home and of India's diversity.
Watch: Listen to the sounds of India
What kind of research went into this show?
This show has been in my head for 10 years. But I started thinking about it seriously five years ago.
At that time, global opportunities were coming in, and world tours were happening. So I went with that.
But this idea never left me. It stayed with me through jet lag and long flights.
Last year, I started writing it properly.
How important is it to keep reinventing yourself?
I don't think it's about reinvention; it's about scaring yourself.
What scares me to write?
That's where I begin.
With this show, the thought was, can I make you feel the joy of India winning a cricket match... through comedy?
That was a big challenge.
So I wrote it like a one-day cricket match, that kind of pace.
If you scare yourself and challenge yourself, reinvention happens naturally.
Also, I'm lucky to have an audience that keeps coming back, so I can't rely on repetition.
I can't just say, 'Look, big stadium, fancier suit, more lights, smoke machine...'
They don't care about that.
They want stories.
They want a real show.
I have to live up to that.
Since the show is about sound, how do you deal with the noise?
Alcohol. Just kidding!
I don't shut my ears to the noise.
If people have something to say about my show, I listen silently, respectfully.
I believe that if I take the freedom to speak on stage, and also charge people for it, I must honour their right to respond.
I may not always act on feedback but I always listen.
Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
