Comedian’s home nation wanted him arrested after viral U.S. speech. He’s coming to Boise
Almost a year after being labeled a “terrorist” by Indian authorities, Vir Das will bring his comedy to Boise on Thursday at the Egyptian Theatre.
Das, a 43-year-old stand-up, went viral last year after giving a six-minute “Two Indias” speech at the historic Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., in which he described the divisions in his home country.
“I come from an India where we have the largest working population under 30 on the planet, but still listen to 75-year-old leaders with 150-year-old ideas,” he said. “I come from an India where we take pride in being vegetarians and yet run over the farmers who grow our vegetables.”
After his speech, in which he also spoke out about the treatment of women, the Indian government tried to silence him by charging him with sedition and defamation.
A vice president of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, Aditya Jha, said he would “not tolerate anyone insulting our nation in another country,” according to an NPR story.
“I will take this fight to a decisive end,” Jha said. “I want Vir Das to be arrested so that no one can malign the nation like this.”
Das will recount this experience to a Boise audience as part of his “Wanted” show, starting from a flight home to Mumbai expecting to be taken into custody by Indian authorities.
He wasn’t.
“This show is about a journey towards figuring out what’s actually valuable,” he told the Idaho Statesman in an interview.
Das said he hopes to invite new faces to his U.S. tour, starting in Idaho and ending in New Hampshire.
What can you expect from his show?
“The show will take you around the world and bring you back home, wherever your home happens to be,” he said. “It’s a show that will take you to India. If you haven’t been to India, it’s a chance to come and experience it.”
Tickets are now on sale and range from $39.50 to $89.00.
