Vir Das on ABC's dramedy Whiskey Cavalier and Indian stereotypes on American television

Actor-comedian Vir Das will soon debut on international television with Whiskey Cavalier. In the dramedy, he pays Jay Dutta, a no-nonsense guy. “Jay Dutta is a CIA operative and a weapon expert. He was an assassin for years and this is the first time where he’s thrown into an atmosphere where he has to work with others. He loves weapons. For him, handling the weapon is simpler than handling people,” revealed Das. [caption id=“attachment_4478577” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Vir Das. Twitter @supercinemaent[/caption] The Go Goa Gone actor believes that his show Abroad Understanding got him a lot of recognition which really helped him. “I think because of Abroad Understanding, everybody was like, ‘This person does exist. There is a comedian named Vir Das.’” The 31st October actor’s character in Whiskey Cavalier was created just six days before the shoot. “I just happened to meet Bill Laurence (producer). He watched my Netflix special and called me up to say that there was a pilot that they would begin shooting in six days. He said he wanted to create a role for me in that pilot because originally the character was not there,” Das added. On being asked whether a stereotypical image of India and Indians is furthered on international television, Das said: “You have to fight for want you want. When we are working on the characters, we consciously make different choices when it comes to Indian character,” he continued, “Usually, Indians are shown as being pleasant and sweet, but Jai Dutta is a very sarcastic, violent guy. So that’s not something that you see very commonly either.” Das has appeared in many Bollywood films such as Namastey London, Love Aaj Kal, Delhi Belly, Shivaay and he has no complaints for not getting prominent or leading roles in movies.“I come from a humble family background. I am just grateful to have this career. I have a wonderful career where if I’m in a film on Friday, I can be on a stage on Saturday; I can make music on Sunday and I can be on American television on Wednesday. I am demanding anything. Whatever I have received is ridiculously great and it all comes in a surprise.” The premiere of Whiskey Cavalier aired on 3 March at 10pm; the subsequent episodes will air immediately after the US telecast every Thursday at 12pm only on Colors Infinity.