I don`t want to play the funny man in films: Vir Das

New Delhi: He is India`s best known stand-up comedian who makes laughing matter out of everything from Madonna to Mayawati. But Vir Das, the actor is stepping out of that comfort zone to play the bad guy on the silver screen.

Be it his upcoming film `Badmaash Company` or the Aamir Khan production `Delhi Belly`, Das says that he has made a conscious decision to play characters not comedians. "My character in `Badmaash Company` has what is called grey shades and similarly in `Delhi Belly`, I am not playing the joker in the group, it is a flawed character, a selfish guy. I get my fix of comedy doing stand-up, I don`t want to do the same in films," Das told reporters. He plays one among a quartet of ambitious crooks who hit the big time in `Badmaash Company` where he will star alongside Shahid Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Meiyang Chang. Das plays a wannabe actor Chandu in the film, whose ultimate ambition is to act opposite Madhuri Dixit. "I play one of the four friends and Chandu is a very animated guy, sort of a pervert. Because the film is about the friendship between the four characters, all of us had to bond and have that chemistry for it to show on screen," said Das who debuted as an actor in Vikram Bhatt`s `Mumbai Salsa` in 2007. And the fact that his co-stars understood his sense of humour, though much to Das` surprise, helped the four get on fabulously. "In real life I have a very weird sense of humour. The jokes I crack during my shows are created to make the audience laugh, so that does not count. But these three actually got my jokes and we bonded very quickly and they attended many of my shows," said the artiste. Das will soon start dubbing for `Delhi Belly`, which is rumoured to be a desi version of `American Pie`, a label that the actor vehemently denies. "It`s a film about three guys living in Delhi, but every film about a group of guys does not have to be a sex comedy," said Das who co-stars with Imran Khan and newcomer Kunal Roy Kapoor in the film directed by Abhinay Deo. In his Bollywood stint, Das wants to keep away from the `funnyman` cliche as much as possible and says that he has the liberty to pick and choose roles because acting is not his bread and butter. "I don`t have to sign every film offered to me to survive. For me it works like this, I shoot for the film and then in the evening I go and do my stand-up show. I have not been forced to pick one. So I have the liberty to do films that really interest me," said the actor. Das, who was training to be a chartered accountant when stand-up comedy happened to him, has also been signed for the next Tanuja Chandra film. And the opportunities coming his way surprise him. "Being signed by Aditya Chopra, it is an opportunity that people struggle for, wait for and it came to me, a total newcomer. And I don`t know why. It`s just good luck I guess and I am thankful for that," said Das. Other than films, Das has a lot on his plate right now. His travelling show `Walking On Broken Glass` recently became the most watched comedy show in India, breaking Rusell Peters` record and his band `Alien Chutney` is receiving rave reviews and packed houses. "`Alien Chutney` is India`s first comedy rock band. It`s alien because it`s a stand-up show, so people are surprised when I suddenly break into song with an accompanying band and chutney because it is all familiar in it`s own way," said Das who is the vocalist and lead guitarist of the band. PTI