Vir Das recalls being ignored on the sets of ‘Namastey London’; opens up about the stark classism of the film industry – Deets Inside |
Vir Das, the International Emmy award-winning comedian, has been thriving with the mind-blowing jokes and a simple mic. Well, before he became an iconic stand-up comedian, he made it to the Bollywood scene with supporting roles, leaving an indelible mark. However, the entertainment industry wasn’t always kind to him.
Vir Das recalls getting ignored and baked on the film set…
Narrating an incident where he experienced stark classism, Das recalled him being the ‘prospective groom number 3’ in Vipul Amrutlal Shah’s ‘Namastey London’ (2007) for Katrina Kaif’s character in an interview with Moments of Silence podcast with Sakshi Shivdasani and Naina Bhan. The 46-year-old mentioned that back then, he didn’t know that the films were supposed to be dubbed, as he was a theatre actor. He continued, “So, the scene is we are on the terrace. I am the prospective groom number three. There is Rishi Kapoor, Nina Wadia and Katrina Kaif. On the other side, it is me and…” After a pause and making the dramatic air quotes, he added, “we were the junior artistes — me and a woman playing my mother.”
“The only two sweaty people in this beautiful Bollywood scene”
Das stated that Katrina Kaif, Nina Wadia and Rishi Kapoor had umbrellas over their heads to protect themselves from the sun. He shared, “But me and my mother are baking in the sun. We are the only two sweaty people in this beautiful Bollywood scene.”As Vir was new to the film scene, he didn’t know how things operated on the sets. He was confused after the director said that Katrina’s dialogue would be dubbed later. Vir mimicked her dialogue to show how she whispered it, to which Vipul Shah said, “Cut, mind-blowing. Brilliant.” He added, “And I am just sitting there thinking: ‘Am I high? She didn’t say s–t.’”As he chronicled the incident, Vir said that the camera angles changed and the scenes were re-shot while Vir and his co-star’s skin was a couple of shades tanned after being baked under the sun for so long. When the time arrived when Vir’s close-ups were supposed to happen, all the actors got up and swiftly left because they didn’t have to stick around.
