Vir Das, who plays Jai Datta on Whiskey Cavalier, may be somewhat new to American primetime television, but he’s far from new in the entertainment industry.
Not only does his resume span back years, but the actor and comedian also has a new Netflix special called Losing It. It sees him talk about the world’s problems using his life experience.
The special was released on Netflix on December 11, 2018, just over two months before his premiere on Whiskey Cavalier.
Before his role on Whiskey Cavalier, Vir Das spent his time working in comedy, Bollywood, and even music. His website claims he’s the highest grossing English language comedian in India, and the first Indian comedian to have a Netflix special.
Discussing his multi-faceted career, he explains that doing music makes him smile, making movies make him humble, and comedy “saves my life every day”.
Vir Das may be known by new fans in the west as Jai Datta on Whiskey Cavalier, but he actually has a large Bollywood acting resume. He’s best known for his roles in Go Goa Gone, Delhi Bely, Shivaay, and Mumbai Calling.
He’s also appeared in Mastizaade, 31st October, Revolver Rani, Sooper Se Ooper, Love Aaj Kal, and Mumbai Salsa. His first job on his IMDb resume was back in 2006, where he played Jabari on The Curse of King Tut’s Tomb, a television movie.
His comedy is ever present in his Instagram photos, including his captions where he often tries to make people laugh.
Das was born in Dehradun, India, but raised in Lagos, Nigeria, before returning to India. He later studied at Knox College, Illinois, which is where he first got into comedy.
In October 2014, he married his long-term girlfriend Shivani Mathur. As for his current personal life, his Instagram account often provides a glimpse of what he’s up to — including when he tried to get a U.S. visa in today’s political landscape.
Even though Vir Das isn’t in every episode of Whiskey Cavalier during Season 1, he will soon return for more episodes.
Whiskey Cavalier airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on ABC.