Vir Das: Landing: A deep dive into Indian cancel culture, outrage and stepping into adulthood

In Netflix’s Vir Das: Landing, the jokes are clever, political and will make you think rather than laugh. At one point in the special, Vir Das slams the American newspapers which come up with headlines like – ‘Why doesn’t Indian comedy push the envelope?’ To this, Das says ‘because we looked inside the envelope, you b***h. There are court dates in it’. In the 1 hour, 6 minute long special, Das discusses at length, the emotional, legal and professional repercussions of his poem ‘Two Indias’ which he performed at the Kennedy Centre in Washington DC in 2021. A section of the Indian audience believed that Das was defaming India on foreign soil, which subsequently led to 7 police complaints against him in 7 states. Towards the end of the special, Das confesses that he contemplated suicide because of the backlash he received in his home country. He was eventually dissuaded when the cases against him were dropped. Still, Das was cancelled and dropped by brands in India. Self-admittedly, it made him look at Bollywood actors with resentment because they didn’t voice their support for him when he needed them the most. By revealing how Bollywood reacted to the FIRs against him, Das exposes the fickle and fleeting nature of goodwill in the Indian showbiz industry. One mistake is enough to land you in the bad books of the actors and if that happens, you’ll be dropped like a hot potato.

About defaming Indian soil – the comic’s grand reveal towards the end of the special is unexpected and pleasantly surprising. Due to multiple accusations against him for defaming India on foreign soil, Das decided to carry Indian soil with him wherever he performs. Each time he cracked a joke at the expense of India or Indians in the special, his feet were on Indian soil. Towards the end, a montage is played which shows Das scooping up soil from Juhu beach. The comic reveals that it is an interesting conversation to have with the customs officials and explain to them why he is carrying a suitcase full of sand with him. The pathos is palpable here. Das wishes to talk about India on Indian soil but due to threats to his safety, he has to perform in America. The viewer cannot help but feel for Das, who wants to use his microphone to hold Indian politicians accountable but doing so would land him in legal trouble – even put his life at risk. Another heartfelt moment comes when Das narrates how a 65-year-old Air India hostess gave him a hug when he was flying back to India, encouraging him to stand tall and face the backlash of ‘Two Indias’ fiasco for all its worth. As Das says, ‘hate is always yelled, love is always felt’.

Controversies aside, Das also talks about the intersection of Indian and American cultures through the lens of politics. As a man born in India who was raised in America, for Das, neither culture existed in a vacuum. They were always in an entanglement with each other – an amalgamation where one is strongly influenced by the other. Vir’s sharpest observations are where he talks about his dual identity  – how he avoids American men with guns but as an Indian, he would still want a friend like a Manjeet from Punjab who owns a gun. Vir is American enough to be pro-choice and Indian enough to allow their parents to beat their child with slippers the moment they turn 7. Much of the comedy in the special comes from the cultural anomalies and pointed observations on how ABCDs (American Born Confused Desis) perceive Indias. Das also calls out the Indian diaspora, most of which he believes is conservative, for not coming to terms with the fact that the India that they left behind is not the same. He is probably one of the few cross-cultural comics to point out that the way Indian Americans view Indian culture is problematic and even ignorant at times. Perhaps, Vir’s sharpest observation in the special is the permanence of the American privilege as opposed to the fleeting nature of the Indian privilege. While American privilege is based on race and attributes that one is born with, Indian privilege is based on socio-economic factors and at times, on the ‘VVVVIP’ pass which might not get one entry into a high-profile awards function.

Vir’s best quality as a comic is that he is an equal opportunity offender. Nobody in his special is above criticism – Vir takes shots at influencers, Gen Z and even his own audience and supporters. As for the generational conflict, Vir lauds Gen Z kids for taking charge and trying to break the barriers of sexuality. But he also asks them to tip their hat to their parents and grandparents who, in their own ways, tried to fight the socio-cultural barriers of their times. The parents of Gen Z kids fought for their right to divorce and walk out of an abusive marriage, which made it easier for Gen Z kids to walk out of their marriages. Similarly, the grandparents of the Gen Z kids fought for the right of their kids to have cross-cultural and inter-racial relationships. The observation is nuanced and leaves the viewer, Gen Z kids in particular, contemplating – don’t our parents, who might not be as woke and accepting as we are – not deserve credit for fighting the socio-cultural barriers of their times? That’s food for thought.

In a special full of sharp observations, political humour and heartfelt moments, perhaps the only criticism from a technical standpoint that one can come up with is the lack of cohesiveness in Vir’s sets. While the special does come a full circle towards the end, in the first half, it does feel like the jokes are disjointed. It is only later when the viewers learn via callbacks that every joke is meant to serve a larger, overarching narrative. One can safely say that Vir goes easy when it comes to cracking jokes at the expense of Indians and Indian politics and is far more brutal in his takedown of Americans and white supremacists. Perhaps, that only shows the difference between how the two nations perceive comedy.

Towards the far end of the special, Das narrates a story where he highlights how as an American who travels abroad, he always makes sure to never leave the bathroom dirty. He is always conscious of the way Americans perceive his community abroad and much like the rest of us, he would go to great lengths to not validate the Indian stereotypes that exist in America. ‘And you say I’m defaming Indian soil?’ asks Vir as he signs off from the stage. Vir Das: Landing is a spoken account of the trauma caused by social media outrage and death threats. It is a reminder that all of us pay a price for speaking our truth publicly but more than anything, it is a reminder to keep on speaking that truth , even if the Mohit Singhals of the world beat you with hockey sticks.

Vir Das: Landing is streaming now on Netflix.

Deepansh Duggal is an entertainment, pop-culture and trends writer based in New Delhi. He specializes in op-eds based on the socio-political and gender issues in the world of entertainment and showbiz. He also writes explainers and occasionally reviews shows in the OTT space. He tweets at @Deepansh75. 

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