Comedy Central

At the first edition of the Weirdass Pajama Festival in Mumbai last year.

February 1 is going to be a busy day. You will have to skip work, and give bathing and preening a miss. It’s a day you would rather walk or run around town in your wrinkly, dirty pajamas. And you will find immense support in actor-comedian-musician Vir Das, as he brings the first edition of Weirdass Pajama Festival to Delhi. Spread across four venues — Siri Fort, Strikers Pub & Brewery, Vasant Kunj and Gurgaon, and Moonshine in Hauz Khas Village — the festival will host stand-up acts, comedy plays, music performances and sketch comedy shows. “We received a tremendous response at the first edition of the festival held in Mumbai. It was one city and three days in 2014, while this year it’s three cities, including Pune. This year, we have done away with everything old — if you don’t have new material, you can’t take part in the festival,” says Das.

In Mumbai, where the festival will be held for four days, starting January 23, there is Das’s new stand-up show called Unbelievablish; The Showstoppers Experience — act by a British improv troupe; and a tribute to funny man Johnny Lever, among other acts. “There is Death Race in Mumbai, where 40 stand-up comics are on stage at the same time. And another act called Filth, a very vulgar and dirty show, where we take your phone away at the door,” informs Das. In Pune, the festival will be held on January 23, and apart from Das’s Unbelievablish, there will be a few well-known American stand-ups too.

The Delhi roster is as packed, and we eagerly await the “Roast of Suhel Seth” at Siri Fort Auditorium, on February 1, when Das along with other stand-up comics will take on whom they call “India’s Most Opinionated Man”. “He participated as a panelist last year in the Mumbai edition of the festival, and he was so good. When we approached him this year for the roast, he agreed immediately. This show will be inclined towards news, and should be a tasteful experience,” says Das.

In the evening, Das will don the hat of a musician, as his band Alien Chutney takes the stage, with their funny rock ‘n’ roll ditties such as Manboob village man. Two plays — The Plaza Suite and Daddy’s Day Out — will be staged, as will an act starring Anu Menon. With a busy schedule ahead, Das suggests you take the metro “like me”, to make it to the laughter marathon that this festival promises to be.

For ticket details, log on to: www. pajamafest.co.in