Making history as the first Indian to host the International Emmy Awards, comedian-actor Vir Das kicked off the 52nd edition of the prestigious ceremony in New York with a memorable monologue that featured a nod to Shah Rukh Khan’s iconic Baazigar dialogue — “Haar ke jeetne wale ko Baazigar kehte hain”.
“There's a line from a Hindi movie that says ‘Haar ke jeetne wale ko Baazigar kehte hain’ and that means essentially ‘to learn to conquer loss is the greatest victory of all’,” Das said, alluding to the resilience and camaraderie of the global entertainment community.
Baazigar is a 1993 Hindi film starring Shah Rukh, Kajol and Shilpa Shetty.
Das’s November 26 speech, peppered with humour and cultural hot takes, garnered thunderous applause and laughter at Hilton Hotel in New York City.
“All of you have dealt with the amazing rejection that it takes to be an artist in the world. We are rejected way more than we are accepted. So tonight, I ask that we accept each other in this room,” Das, dressed in a monochrome ensemble paired with white sneakers, said.
In a packed room filled with the world’s brightest television stars and creators, Das’s sharp wit and effortless humour broke the ice. “Welcome to the 52nd Annual International Emmy Awards. My name is Vir Das. I’m your host. I’m from Mumbai in India,” he began, immediately setting the tone with self-deprecating humour about his Indian accent and visa status. “I’m not a citizen. It’s a very quick visit, in and out. I was just here to vote.”
The comedian didn’t shy away from tackling stereotypes, joking about being typecast as “Doctor Raj, Lawyer Raj, Engineer Raj” in Hollywood, and poking fun at American remakes of international stories. “We tell the original diverse international stories that Hollywood remakes into cash cows with Kevin Hart and Liam Neeson,” he quipped.
Das also took a playful jab at recent cultural touchstones, quipping, “What do you think? Who does Will Smith have to slap tonight for us to get some eyeballs, guys? I’m kidding. We’re foreigners. You can’t slap foreigners with anything but sanctions. Sorry, tariffs.”
His humour didn’t stop there. Das had the audience in splits with a cheeky warning about the 30-second speech limit for winners. “If you win an award tonight, you only have 30 seconds on this stage, and that is more than enough time to congratulate the people that you love, if not pleasure them.”
Das concluded his monologue by hilariously imagining the post-event chaos at JFK Airport, quipping, “In 72 hours, we will all meet together at the security line at JFK… and if you have an International Emmy in your hand, enjoy the two-hour cavity search that follows.”
