The announcement comes at a time when the standup-up comedian has been facing backlash from several right-wing Hindu groups, led by the Hindu Janajagruti Samithi.
Published Nov 14, 2022 | 10:40 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 15, 2022 | 3:14 PM
The announcement means that the Hyderabad show of Vir Das scheduled on 20 November is now postponed. (Vir Das/Twitter)
Stand-up comedian Vir Das on Monday, 14 November, said he has postponed his upcoming November shows, including one in Hyderabad, due to a “huge acting opportunity” that has come his way.
But right-wing outfits have claimed victory, saying he cancelled his shows because of their protests.
Das last performed on 11 November in Kolkata. His Bengaluru show on 10 November was “halted” amid protests by the right-wing group Hindu Janajagruti Samithi (HJS) and its allies, alleging he had hurt Hindu sentiments.
The groups also demanded his arrest.
Chetan Gadi, the spokesperson of the Karnataka unit of the Goa-headquartered HJS, claimed that Das canceled his shows after facing protests from Hindu organisations.
“Book my show had opened ticket sales and he (Das) himself promoted his shows on social media. So now because of all these protests, he has canceled the Hyderabad show, but he cannot say explicitly due to ego issues. That is why he is setting a different narrative,” he told South First.
“Even when Munawar Faruqui’s first Hyderabad show was canceled, he said it was due to a surge in Covid-19 cases. However, it was all because of protests by us,” he contended.
The Vir Das Show, part of his India tour, was earlier scheduled on 17 September this year but was postponed to 20 November at the Shilpakala Vedika in Madhapur, Hyderabad, due to an injury he suffered.
Taking to social media, Das said that he had been selected for an acting role, for which he had been auditioning for months.
Calling the decision to postpone his November show bittersweet, Das said, “Folks. This is a bittersweet one. I announced four days ago… I’d been auditioning for a thing for months and I’ve gotten a huge acting opportunity. Everyone in this beast gathers for some prep in Nov. I’m gonna have to push November gigs.”
Pointing out that people will get their refunds and new dates for the shows will be decided, he added: “Announcement comes soon & I think you’ll understand why . I’ll see you on the new live dates, and you’ll see me on screen as you’ve never seen me before…..with some folks you’ve seen before?”
Packing bags, learning lines, headed to the gym….and other locations. We’re gonna find new dates and do refunds for now. I can’t wait to tell you why 🤞👊 pic.twitter.com/01v01Si2Um
— Vir Das (@thevirdas) November 14, 2022
A day after he performed in Kolkata, on 12 November, Das announced on social media that he had bagged a role he auditioned for thrice over months.
Meanwhile, fans speculated that the actor landed a role from American cinema giant Marvel Studios, well known for their movie superheroes.
Three auditions, two callbacks, over months, then you finally get the call that you’ve got the part. There’s no better feeling as an actor. It’s a good day, and I can’t wait to tell you why! 🤗
— Vir Das (@thevirdas) November 12, 2022
While a representative from Shilpakala Vedika confirmed to South First about the cancellation of the Hyderabad show earlier in the day, the reason remained unclear.
“We do not have the authority to cancel the show as we just provide the venue. It is the decision of the organisers. Book my Show (an online ticket-selling platform) sent us a mail that the show is cancelled. They must have got it from the organisers (Mumbai-based venture Dhinchak Media LLP).”
But there were several reports that said the show was canceled amid a right-wing scare.
This came after the HJS complained on 13 November at Madhapur police station asking the police to cancel the Hyderabad show.
The HJS, in its complaint, claimed that Das had made “derogatory statements against women, our prime minister, and India” at the John F Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, in the US and “denigrated the nation”.
The complaint noted: “He had said that ‘In India, we worship women in the day and rape them at night’, during the performance.”
It added that the police in Mumbai and Delhi had registered cases in this regard. The complaint was referring to Vir Das’s performance titled I Come From Two Indias.
“It is not right to allow such a controversial person” to perform “in a communally sensitive area like Hyderabad (sic)”, the complaint said.
Noting that Telangana is already facing many law-and-order problems due to communal incidents, the complaint said “such events … should not be allowed”. “We demand that this program should be canceled immediately,” it added.
Earlier, the Bengaluru unit of the HJS had called the halt of the show, a “success of Hindu unity”.
