Vir Das, widely known for his sharp and irreverent humor, recently shared his thoughts on the state of Indian award shows, particularly taking aim at the absurd amount of corporate sponsorships that dominate these events. The stand-up comedian and actor, with his trademark wit, poked fun at how difficult it is to deliver edgy jokes when the opening minutes of a show are filled with lengthy sponsor acknowledgments. He also addressed the recent India's Got Latent controversy involving Ranvver Allahbadi, Ashish Chanchalni, Apoorva (The Rebel Kid).
In an Instagram post prompted by the Academy Awards hosted by Conan O'Brien, Das questioned why Indian awards shows don't utilize contemporary comedians, implying their humor might be too controversial. He imagined the resulting uproar and concluded it was "probably for the best," citing the restrictive opening monologue format and the difficulty of delivering edgy jokes with numerous sponsor obligations.
He wrote, "While watching a major entertainment awards show, I'm pretty sure a few fellow Indian comedians play a game in our head. We wonder why Indian awards shows don't use modern stand-up comedians at major awards. Then....we think of some of the jokes we would do, the utter shitstorm that would follow, then we think it's probably for the best. Also we remember the opening monologue is at the top of the show, which logically requires showing up on time, and staying for the whole show, which again reaffirms....probably for the best also just rhythm wise...it's hard to do an edgy joke after saying "Manikchand pan pasand fun flips Zorro plus zandu bandu MDH MCD motorola parivar..."
Also Read: “Meri Family Aur Mujhe…”: Ashish Chanchlani Shares Emotional Video Amid India’s Got Latent Row, Fans React
Das has previously defended new media against what he views as attempts by traditional media to undermine its popularity, a sentiment interpreted as support for content creators and digital platforms amid the 'India’s Got Latent' controversy.