Serious Business

Das insists he never wanted to act. “The right question isn’t whether I wanted to do movies but whether people thought I would ever do it. And the answer to that is ‘no’,which is probably why I’m doing it in the first place.” But nothing,he says,will drive him to do the run-of-the-mill roles or build a six-pack,he concurs. Of his present roles,there isn’t much he can reveal. “One movie is with Aamir Khan’s production house and the other with Yash Raj Films. What are the chances I can tell you anything?” he says,raising an eyebrow,mocking the secrecy the two mega production houses are known for.

Das clearly seems to be learning the ways of the industry but the exposure has still not accustomed him to the camera. Despite having done innumerable live comedy shows across the world,the sight of the photographer makes him nervous. He explains the irony: “The way people vent it out in the gym,I use the stage to take it all out. That’s the only space where I’m uninhibited. I’ve been this way since I was seven,” he speaks with the earnestness of a Bollywood novice.

This reclusive trait extends into his personal life as well. Pretty much a homebody,Das spends most of his time indoors—his quaint house in the suburb of Khar in Mumbai or his house in Goa where he spends at least eight days in a month. “I need to be near a waterbody to think and write. So,most of my work happens in Goa or in the three-hour showers that I indulge in when in Mumbai.”

His time spent in the shower is paying off well. Das’ first music album will hit the stores when he will be travelling for a year on a world tour to 20 countries with his next show. In October,his first film as a screenwriter will go on floors. “These may sound random,but everything I’m doing has a funny connect,” he explains.

But Das considers this a transitory phase. “This year will decide what course I take next,” he says. “I’m open to going back to where I came from even though I’m really loving every bit of Mumbai and the country.”

“I’m a huge patriot; India is on a great growth path. It’s like the Mumbai airport— when it was being renovated,a lot of people complained about the inconvenience but now,each of them has shut up to enjoy every bit of the global facilities the airport has to offer.”