Lovely journey to go from being a winner to host: Vir Das on Emmy Awards

It has been a “lovely journey” to go from being a winner to now a host, says Vir Das as he prepares to host the International Emmy Awards a year after winning a trophy for his Netflix special.

Das, who is set to become the first Indian to host the Awards, said though the news was announced recently, he has known about it for three months.

In 2023, Das won the International Emmy Award for his Netflix stand-up special “Landing” in the best comedy category. He was nominated in the same category in 2021 as well.

“When they asked me, I was very flattered and I immediately said, 'Yes'. This is a lovely journey to go from a nominee to a winner to the host. What an insane kind of escalation in four years. I'm just very appreciative of the opportunity. That's all I'm thinking about right now,” Das told PTI in an interview.

The actor, who is currently enjoying the success of his streaming show “Call Me Bae” on Prime Video, said he is excited and nervous about hosting the show, known for recognising the best in international television.

“It has been a good week, touch wood. The show ('Call Me Bae') I was in has gotten a good response, and I'm excited about the hosting. The fact that I'm doing the show (Emmys) is for us to celebrate, but I'll celebrate personally once I'm done and I've done a good job. So, it's very nice to have the job, but I still have to do the job,” Das said.

Asked whether the pressure to host the gala awards ceremony is similar to what he goes through while preparing for his stand-up acts or shows, Das said it's significantly bigger.

“I only have eight to 10 minutes for the opening monologue. I'll have to get it right. It'll be, I think, two weeks after America's elections, so I will have to think about that as well. There'll be lots of nominees, lots of pictures and you will have to talk about that. It's an interesting writing job where the tone is very, very specific,” he said.