Remember when Vir Das criticised India's democracy, culture, society, journalism, and political climate at the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC? At the time, the standup comedian started his speech by saying, "I come from 'Two Indias,'" before giving examples to certain unpleasant aspects of the country. The comedian-actor faced much criticism for his comments, including police complaints and even countless death threats. The comments did not go down well with BJP supporters at the time, but many Congress leaders supported the standup for his views.
The other day, Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee referred Vir Das's 'Two Indias' speech amid a discourse about the Union Budget at the Lok Sabha. The reference surprised the comedian himself. "In Parliament?," he can be heard asking repeatedly in a video that mixes the MP's speech and his opinion of it.
The standup comic took to social media to share his reaction to the MP's reference through a video. The video cuts back and forth between the Member of Parliament's speech and the standup's reaction to the things he can be heard saying at the Lok Sabha. When Abhishek said that the 'Two Indias' speech made many laugh, the standup interjected by saying, "I remember, some people laughed". Interestingly, Abhishek opined that the 2021 video "offended some" people, only to make the standup rhetorically correct him by saying it offended more than a few. "Few paused to listen," said Abhishek. In response, Vir asked, "Who paused to listen?"
Abhishek acknowledged that Vir Das's speech worked as a clarion call and as more than just a comic act. The Happy Patel star agreed to this assessment while reminding him that he also got warnings for sharing his opinion. The MP found it "a mirror held up to a nation standing at the edge of its own contradictions." In response, the comic said, "No, it felt like broken glass," which were "hiding in my house for a really long time."
When the MP shared that he also comes from "two Indias," Vir Das sarcastically wondered where was such support for his views all this while. At the end of the clip, the standup comedian announced his new show, a world tour, titled Hey Stranger. "I’m leaving the country. I’m actually going on a world tour. And this feels like a really good time to announce it," he said.
In a different post, he said that it would be an honour for him to attend the Parliament. "If I was ever invited to parliament, I would be honoured, I would write something, speak, then go straight to the airport, and take a long flight to an undisclosed location," he said.
The MP also wished Vir luck on his future endeavour. "Ah, the beauty of two Indias- in one, a comedian is questioned for talking about the ‘TWO INDIA’ divide. In the other, the same debate becomes the perfect PR for a tour announcement. Democracy does have a sense of humour. Wishing you house full shows and a smashing tour ahead Vir Das," he wrote.