Vir Das thinks Indians lack sense of humour and they read too much into the jok...

Vir Das is completely in love with his job. The stand-up comedian enjoys doing shows in India but complains that Indians need to have a better sense of humour and enjoy jokes rather than reading between the lines.

“I think we, Indians read too much into the jokes, which ideally should not be taken seriously. We should let them run and slide, and forget about it. They are not made to hurt or malign anyone, but just to make people laugh. Sadly, the problem is that we make a big deal about them. We need to learn to have a sense of humour,” says the 37-year-old , who will soon launch a world tour spanning 26 countries and across six continents.

“ In my shows too, I talk about the history of India [Mahatma] Gandhi, freedom struggle, Mahabharta among many other things. I won’t shy away or get scared from making jokes because I know it’s just a joke and nothing more,” he adds.

The actor-comedian believes that comedians are not responsible for influencing people’s opinions through their jokes. “It’s not a comedian’s job to make people aware about what’s going on. The onus is on everyone. And banning a comedian, or censoring their jokes is not the way to go about it. Censorship of any kind is wrong,” says the Delhi Belly actor.

Vir often receives flak on social media for his jokes but he says he is clueless as to why that happens. “What people forget is that I am a comedian. It’s my job to humiliate myself. I have said things that are far worse and meaner about myself than what they have ever said about me. So, I am not bothered about what people have to say about that,” he says.