Vir Das won an International Emmy last year. Come November, he is all set to host this year’s edition of the awards in the US. The actor-comedian has also garnered praise for his eccentric turn in Ananya Panday’s web debut Call Me Bae and has wrapped up his debut directorial project. A t2 chat with Vir.

Congratulations on the gig to host the International Emmy Awards in November. You won an award last year and now you get to host the ceremony. Is it a kind of a full-circle moment?

The (International) Emmy win was an India achievement and getting to host the ceremony is one which has high personal stakes. That is the only way in which I can describe it.

Now, it is about finding the perfect (opening) monologue. A lot of people are celebrating (him hosting the awards). But it is not done yet... you have to wait for me to get it right first.

Have you thought of how you will be approaching it? Are you tossing around a few ideas?

I have not written a word yet! Not one word! But it is going to be an interesting time when I get to the US. It will be a couple of days after the (presidential) election. That will feature heavily in what I say on stage. Also, I want to make it about the people in the room. I want to make it about the nominees and the shows that are nominated. Once the nominees are announced and the elections happen, and depending on what is going on in India in October, there will be a lot to talk about.

You seemed to have a blast playing a loud and unethical television journalist in Call Me Bae. What made you want to do it?

When I act, it always has to be something very interesting because it takes me away from my stand-up (comedy). It has to justify the time I am putting in. Doing stand-up is a tremendously enjoyable job where I have direct access to the audience. I work for an hour or so in a day, it is efficient and unlike acting, there is not a lot of waiting around.

I do love to act... I started out as an actor. But it has to be something very interesting to take me away from stand-up comedy. For this show (Call Me Bae), I got a call from Dharmatic (the producers of the show). Now, I am not the first person you think of when you think of a Dharma production (laughs). So I was a little surprised when the call came. They told me this was the character and if they could send it (the script) over. I read it and I was like: ‘This is insane!’

As you know, I have a little bit of experience in a newsroom. I used to work at CNBC and I have kind of been around journalists my entire life. I know that they can be driven and passionate but they can also be outlandish like the guy (Satyajit Sen aka SS) I play. That is one thing that Collin (D’Cunha, director) and I wanted to make him... because if he is this amazing journalist, there must be something about him that draws people to him at the end of the day. He gets the viewership ratings because he is a decent anchor. So let’s make him really charismatic when he is on camera doing the news, but then let’s make him very, very, very outlandish off camera when he is in the office. That is the kind of approach I wanted. Otherwise, it becomes very easy to do some sort of a YouTube sketch version of an angry television news anchor.

What appealed to me about Satyajit Sen was his relationship with privilege. He is someone who desires privilege but also detests it. I thought that was an interesting double-edged sword to navigate... to play a person who says he hates all rich people and yet wants to be one of them. He hates people in Gucci but also wants to wear it.

What have the reactions to your portrayal been like? You have tweeted that the compliments make you feel you should act more...

Most people have said that I was so good at playing this guy that they really ended up hating him. I take that as a compliment. If I am hated for the right reasons, that is a good day in my life.

What were your takeaways from being on a Dharma set?

It was great! I got to improvise so much. Collin was fantastic. Once I was cast, he told me: ‘Just show up and do your thing. Just act insane!’ If I had any kind of idea about how to do a scene, I was allowed to run it by him.

It was nice to show up and do my stuff. I acted with only five to six members of the cast and on any given day, they didn’t know what to expect in terms of what I was going to try. I just tried everything that was in my head and the good thing is that 70 per cent of the stuff we made up is what you see in the show.

Do you want to act more? You have also just finished directing your debut film...

Well, it has to be for the right reasons. I don’t want to do it just for the sake of doing it. I just co-directed a movie called Happy Patel (that marks actor Imran Khan’s comeback). I am also acting in it. I am busy getting that ready now. I will do another series next year, I think, and maybe a film at the end of this year. I am also filming a comedy special in October.

Making a comedy special is like making a movie. It has to be cinematic and it is very tough to shoot. I am directing that too. I am taking it easy for a bit now but I would really like to play a villain soon. That is the next thing I am setting my eyes on.

Did you enjoy the experience of directing a film?

It is singlehandedly the toughest thing I have ever done in my life! What I felt about directing initially was what I felt about stand-up comedy when I tried it. But then I kind of fell in love with the process.

It is insane! Kavi (Shastri, co-director of Happy Patel) and I met as background extras on Love Aaj Kal. From there to be directing a movie for Aamir (Khan, actor and producer of Happy Patel) is quite a journey. It is a movie which I hope people will enjoy.

Do you look back at how far you have come?

No chance! (Laughs) That will happen when I am 85 and write a memoir.

For more than a year, you were on a comedy tour around the world, literally living out of a suitcase. Do you miss the adrenaline rush of that now?

I have been in India most of this year. I haven’t even travelled that much this year. It is actually nice to have a gym to go to and to spend time with my wife. To have some sense of routine has been very, very nice. It is good to have feet on the ground for a little bit. Stand-up comedy is one of those things where you need to live life to write about life. This has been a year about living life.

Let us not forget that part of the reason I was on that crazy global tour was because nobody in India was working with me at that time. Before that tour, I would wait for my phone to ring... and now, thank God, the phones don’t stop ringing.

How do you view this purple patch?

I don’t think about it. I know it will come and go. For a few years, everybody will want a selfie and everyone will want to collaborate on projects. And then there will be a time when they won’t anymore. But I know that I will continue to be funny and I will continue to create my own work. If a phone call comes and it is an exciting project, I will, of course, do it. Otherwise, I will write, direct and act in my own stuff. I will always know my phone number even if other people don’t.

That is a huge power to have...

The thing that I am proudest of is that there are zero middlemen between me and my audience.

I love your biscuit binges every Sunday. Not many people have biscuits as a cheat meal....

I shoot my comedy special in October and so right now, I have to be carb-free and sugar-free, so no biscuits for now.

Does your diet need to be that rigorous even to shoot a comedy special?

I say this with zero arrogance, but my comedy specials are watched by more people than my movies are. So I do have to look good.