Another International Emmy nomination has taken Vir Das by surprise. As we sit across from him in his beautiful Bandra office, an exquisite brown stand that his wife Shivani had got made for his previous Emmy sits in the room, complete with an electric socket perched on top. Where is the Emmy, we ask. Wrapped in a sweater and tucked away in his almirah, he tells us. Now he has earned his third nomination for Fool Volume, his latest Netflix special. Unlike its predecessor, which was more emotional and controversial, Das had intended this one to be deliberately silly. Then, six weeks before the show, he lost his voice and that’s what made it more intimate, winning a nod from juries across Japan, Korea and USA. “Never repeat yourself. So, I was like, this one’s for me. This one’s for fun. Then I lost my voice and that became what the special is about,” he says.

The nomination is particularly gratifying because Das believes the special’s appeal extends beyond its desi audience. “It’s truly a global Indian project out of India and the International Emmys’ global jury makes the recognition meaningful.”