Everyone is eagerly looking forward to what one of the most revered names in the comedy space has cooked up in his directorial debut, a spy comedy. Vir Das, who co-directed Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos with Kavi Shastri, says doing 'edgy' comedy has become more challenging today than it was during the days of Delhi Belly and Go Goa Gone.
"The big difference with 'Delhi Belly' and 'Go Goa Gone' is that the characters were quite smart and edgy because culture at the time was quite soft," Das said in an interaction with PTI. "Cinema was 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara', 'Parineeta', and 'Guzaarish'. It was very cultured and subtle. So, when we came in with like edgy gaalies (expletives), we were different for that reason."
In order to make the comedy fresher, Das had to opt for a "more goofy, absurd, and ridiculous" approach. "Today, we live in the world of 'Paatal Lok' and 'Mirzapur'. The culture is already quite hard and edgy. So, it's a lot more goofy, absurd, and ridiculous, which for me is a new zone as an actor to be in. Happy Patel has zero nuance. He's not a bright guy at all," said Das, who brings to the table a different, never-before-seen take on the international spy comedy with an Indian twist.
As for what to expect from the film, which has Aamir Khan as a producer and in a guest role, Das said, "Every joint family dinner needs one idiot at the table, and I'm happy to be the idiot at the table. So, I want you to imagine maybe Tiger, Pathaan, Kabir ('War') and Ranveer Singh from 'Dhurandhar' and Alia Bhatt from ('Alpha') are having a wonderful serious dinner and for some reason they invite this idiot to the table, who says stupid things and who doesn't have a clue about anything, and that's who Happy Patel is."
