Humour is almost unarguably the first thing you associate with Vir Das. Horror, presumably the last. But the International Emmy-winning comic has a way of surprising people. After opening 2026 with his maiden directorial venture Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos, a spy comedy, the new director is planning to take his second film on floors later this year.

“I will hopefully make a pure horror movie next; not comedy at all,” he told mid-day. When we asked him whether he would also act in it, like he did in Happy Patel, he shared, “I hope so.”

The yet-untitled film has been with Das for a few years. He had put it on paper in 2021, following a controversy that was sparked by his monologue, Two Indias, a sharp commentary that examined the contradictions between the progressive idea of the country and its regressive reality. It led to outrage among certain sections of the Indian population that found his commentary offensive. As Das hit an unprecedented low in his career, he utilized the time to do what he knows best — write.

Recalling the genesis of the horror film, Das said, “I had a controversy [after which] no one would work with me for two years. We had a live tour and 192 brands said no to us. I had signed three acting projects; [they] went away. So, I sat on my bum for two years. The bright side is that it gave me time to write a comedy special [Landing] that won an [International] Emmy. It gave me time to write the next three things that I will make.” 

Even as the controversy is behind him, the actor and director has found his own way to battle the trolling. “There are days when I believe that it’s a trade-off. It’s the price of all the love that I receive. Things like this are the price of the global audience you have, and you have to be willing to pay the tax.”