Vir Das Focuses On Grief In Newest Installment Of Acclaimed #TENONTEN Stand Up Series

Vir Das presents the fourth installment of his new standup series #TenOnTen, this month devoted to exploring grief amidst India's devastating surge of COVID cases, and the enormous loss of life around the world. #TenOnTen, a continuing 10-part work of bits pertaining to pressing global concerns, is released in standalone episodes on the tenth day of every month. The newest episode can be viewed HERE.

At the height of his comedic form in #TenOnTen, Das carries audiences with relatability, empathy, and unapologetic silliness-often before dropping them into darkness-making each bit a dynamic journey to the heart of various aspects of global discourse. In this latest episode, Das goes over what we've lost in the past year - monarchs and actors to family and friends - from illness and guns.

"No artist embodies the globalization of stand-up over the past decade like Vir Das," writes The New York Times. "His savvy, charismatic comedic style seems perfectly suited to cross cultures."

Thus far in the series, Das has punctured society's lionization of the West; and addressed the tensions between religion and comedy, and affronts to freedom of speech. (Das himself was, in 2020, served 17 legal notices and taken to court twice in India for his comedy).

Whether taking on nationalism, religious fundamentalism, Trump or Modi, 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 shit at the same time."

Previously for the #TenOnTen series, Das has performed to a small audience who had traveled to the middle of a forest in Goa, India, to see him. However, as the mounting crisis in India has led to new restrictions, his latest video was performed and captured via Zoom.

Honoring the realization that what he remembers best from his favorite comedians are specific bits, Das set out in #TenOnTen to hone a shorter format than he's become known for, diverging from the cinematic structure of his standup specials. This limited audience count has allowed Das-who has sold out stadium performances and risen to Bollywood fame-to in fact be more open, unfiltered, and as he puts it, "reckless," than ever.

The series continues an innovation of form that he initiated with his fourth (and most recent) Netflix special, Inside Out, which began with the comedian announcing to a global Zoom audience: "If I can't hear everybody laugh it's just me alone in a room worrying I'm gonna die." Created to fundraise for various charities, as the early days of the pandemic united the globe in isolation and the virtual search for connection and levity, that 2020 project took a fresh approach to standup banter. Over 30 Zoom calls with audiences from around the world, Das started active, moving, far-reaching conversations about what they wanted life to be beyond the pandemic. Now a year into our new way of living, with #TenOnTen, Das has made another comedic reinvention informed by this moment.

As India's biggest stand-up 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 and being hailed by Variety magazine as a "Top 10 Comic To Watch." Vir'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 since resulted in a multi-special deal with the platform for them to be the exclusive distributor of his stand-up. Outside of his Bollywood films, Vir can be seen as an actor in the ABC spy dramedy Whiskey Cavalier, the Randall Park and and Constance Wu starring sitcom Fresh Off the Boat, and the Netflix series Hasmokh, which Vir created and executive produced.

Vir climbed the ranks of the Bollywood elite in various films to become a leading man with impenetrable comedic chops. Through his various tours, he has sold over half a million tickets as a stand up and became the biggest English speaking comedian in India. He has cemented himself as one of the country's top stand-ups, actors, writers, musicians, and festival producers, and is now making a global impact.

Vir 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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