‘Vir Das: Outside In – The Lockdown Special’ Has The Perfect Mix Of Ice & Spice

This year has taught us that the unimaginable should not be unexpected. It’s been a tough year for everyone including performing artists who depend and thrive on live audiences. They’ve had to get really creative in indulging the audience and keeping them entertained. One such artist who got creative and went digital to deliver his talent during the lockdown in India is Vir Das.

His new stand-up comedy special on Netflix ‘Vir Das: Outside In – The Lockdown Special’ is more of a “sit-down” session where you get to see Das hosting comedy shows from his home office in Mumbai, India through Zoom with audiences from around the globe. He starts by asking the simple question “What’s the first thing you’re going to do after the lockdown ends?” He then probes further into some of the responses he gets and builds his jokes off of them. It’s all spontaneous and mostly unscripted, unlike traditional stand-up comedy shows.

What makes this show so special? Vir Das not only brings much-needed laughter during some of the most stressful periods of 2020 but also ensures proceeds from the show went towards Covid-19 relief where it was most needed. 

Vir Das is known for making intelligent jokes about realistic things and there’s never a dull moment whether you watch him live or on a recorded special. Just as you think there’s going to be an awkward pause, he fills it with another spontaneous witty joke which fills the “room” with laughter.

What I loved most about this special was the ending – Vir Das’ team caught up with some of the people featured in the special once the lockdown in India ended, and showed how they did that one thing they really wanted to do, after gaining their new freedom. This 50-minute comedy special is unique for many reasons, and each one is enough to make your heart melt and lift your spirits.