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VIDEO: Comedian Vir Das Takes on Cancel Culture and Tribalism in New #TenOnTen Episode
#TenOnTen will eventually comprise 10 episodes, each pertaining to a pressing global concern and released on the tenth day of the month.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Aug. 10, 2021
Vir Das TODAY released the fifth episode in his acclaimed #TenOnTen series of topical standup videos, recorded with a small audience, outdoors in Goa, India (with the exception of the May 2021 installment, taped over Zoom due to a surge in COVID-19), and shared on his YouTube channel. This time, Das reflects on tribalism and cancel culture, addressing the phenomenon candidly, and with both light-heartedness and conviction. Having expanded his audience worldwide with #TenOnTen, as well as through four Netflix specials, Das will perform live and in-person in London and cities across NORTH AMERICA this fall and winter. (Please see itinerary below.)
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As he explains in the new video, Das has first-hand experience of vitriolic online tribalism-including in reaction to the first episode of the TenOnTen series, focused on religion. In part of the performance, he made fun of Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. Right-wing twitter accounts edited out his discussion of Christianity and Islam, taking his comments about Hiduism out of context, and he received 830 death threats over the span of 12 hours overnight. From this anecdote, Das makes a broader conclusion, saying "The Threatening of life, and the threatening of your livelihood-whether from the far left or the far right-may be very different extremities of reactions but hey both come from essentially the same place, which is your inability to coexist with somebody who thinks differently than you do, knows less than you do, or you perceive as more imperfect than you are. Allow people to be imperfect; allow people to be fallible."
#TenOnTen will eventually comprise 10 episodes, each pertaining to a pressing global concern and released on the tenth day of the month. Since January, audiences have traveled to the middle of a forest in Goa to see him-a pristine, socially-distanced haven where live standup and incisive, engaging political and social commentary can safely continue. The limited audience size has allowed Das-who has sold out stadium performances and risen to Bollywood fame-to be more open, unfiltered, and as he puts it, "reckless," than ever. Das assumes a globally political approach, one he sees lacking in the inward-looking American comedy landscape. "I feel like there's never been a time before where the world has had more global common ground," he says. "We're all dismantling the same s at the same time." Previous installments in the series have covered the tensions between religion and comedy, freedom of speech, society's lionization of the West, and the many losses we've experienced over the last year.
Vir Das 2021-22 Tour Dates
September 13-25
London, England
Soho Theatre
October 1-3
Arlington, TX
Arlington Improv
October 8-10
Phoenix, AZ
CB Live
October 14-16
San Diego, CA
American Comedy Co.
October 21
Portland, OR
Revolution Hall
October 23
Seattle, WA
The Neptune
October 24
Thousand Oaks, CA
Janet & Ray Scherr Forum Theatre
October 29-31
San Jose, CA
San Jose Improv Comedy Club
November 5
Boston, MA
The Wilbur
November 12
Washington, DC
Kennedy Center Concert Hall
November 13
Atlantic City, NJ
The MUSIC BOX at the Borgata
November 19
Austin, TX
The Paramount Theatre
February 24, 2022
Winnipeg, MB
Burton Cummings Theatre
February 25, 2022
Calgary, AB
MacEwan Hall
February 26, 2022
Vancouver, BC
Vogue Theatre
About Vir Das
As India's biggest standup comedian and a Bollywood star, Vir Das has now crossed over to become a global comedy sensation, filling an international vacancy for an authentic Indian perspective. Variety has hailed him as a "Top 10 Comic To Watch" and last month featured him in the magazine's "2021 Comedy Impact Report." Das's fourth NETFLIX SPECIAL in five years, Inside Man, was just released, which was shot entirely in quarantine with audience members virtually attending from around the world. Vir was the first comedian from India to have a stand-up special on Netflix, which resulted in a multi-special deal with the platform for them to be the exclusive distributor of his standup. Outside of his Bollywood films, Vir can be seen as an actor in the ABC spy dramedy Whiskey Cavalier, the Randall Park-and-Constance Wu-starring sitcom Fresh Off the Boat, and the Netflix series Hasmokh, which Vir created and executive produced. He just wrapped shooting for Judd Apatow's film The Bubble.
Das climbed the ranks of the Bollywood elite in various films to become a leading man with extraordinary comedic chops. Through his various tours, he has sold over half a million tickets as a standup and become the biggest English-speaking comedian in India. He has cemented himself as one of the country's top standups, actors, writers, musicians, and festival producers, and is now making a global impact.
Das has traversed the globe on his various stand-up tours, performing on six continents, including sold-out runs in Australia and at London's prestigious Soho Theatre. He has also been featured at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as well as the Montreal Just For Laughs comedy festival and has made multiple television appearances on Conan.
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