Vir Das Reveals The Real Reason Why Comedians Don`t Host Award Shows In India

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MARCH 17,2026

Vir Das is one of the finest comedians that India has ever seen. His comedy is not just "ha-ha" jokes - it is storytelling in a way that's a rollercoaster ride of emotions.

Not many know that before becoming a global sensation and touring the world with sold-out shows, he was a comedy writer who used to write scripts for Bollywood award functions like Filmfare.

One of his jokes on actor Neil Nitin Mukesh, cracked by Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan, garnered controversy. Now, Das recalls the same incident and reveals why, unlike Hollywood, India doesn't have comedians hosting award shows.

Vir Das on why comedians don't host award shows in India

Despite being a globally loved comedian, the Go Goa Gone actor has never hosted an award show. He shared the real reason why India won't see that happening even in the near future.

Also Read:Vir Das Reflects On His Early Days In Bollywood And Why He Envies Nepo Kids

'Why doesn't India do a Gervais or even a Conan-style hosting of a major film awards show? Well, as someone who wrote the script for many Indian awards for five years, here's why. The point of having comedians host and roast the Oscars or film awards is that, for a night, a jester would humanise the most celebrated people in the world. That's when any joke is a punch-up," he explained.

Vir continued, "Here, star egos won't take a joke from anyone not at their level. Ironically, the bigger the star who hosts, the trickier it's going to be. Because only a few people are at that level. So, a huge star hosting works for the people in the room, just not always for the audience watching, simply because the power imbalance is off.'

Vir Das on the Neil Nitin Mukesh joke

After the Oscars 2026 live streaming, Vir took to social media and revealed why there's no equivalent to a Conan O'Brien or Ricky Gervais in India who will host larger-than-life award shows.

Also Read: Samay Raina To Vir Das, 6 Comedians Who Landed In Trouble

Reacting to his note, a netizen shared an old clip from the 2008 Filmfare Awards and wrote, "I remember Neil Nitin Mukesh getting offended when SRK (amp Saif?) cracked a joke on his name.'

Responding to the same, Vir Das clarified that the joke was 'scripted' and Neil was informed well in advance.

'Fun fact. We wrote that bit. It was supposed to come off as silly. Neil was in on the joke, and it was scripted. Great sport. It worked in the room. But they added dramatic music underneath it and edited it like a TV serial, so everyone took it seriously,' he explained.