The Vigil Idiot

Who: Sahil Rizwan
What he does: Reviews Bollywood films with unapologetic sarcasm and wit via stick figures in his web-comic
Humour quotient: “Dry, sarcastic, observational”

How did The Vigil Idiot begin?
The Vigil Idiot, in current comic form, officially began in June 2009. Before that, it was just a bunch of generic Facebook notes that I used to write sometimes on a lark – like a list of the most unintentionally hilarious Hindi films ever. The idea to turn it into stick figures, I totally ripped off from a post on the Greatest Page In The Universe blog.

Why stick figures? Since you’re not focusing on facial expressions, do you find it difficult to elicit humour from the figures?
It’s pretty much because stick figures are all I can draw! But even if I was better with graphics , I’d probably still have stuck to the 1D figures, because it’s the only way I can come out with a comic the same weekend that a movie releases. And let’s face it, no one’s reading The Vigil Idiot for the artwork. About the humour, I think most of it comes from the script. So the lack of actual expressions hasn’t really stood in the way yet.

What formula must Bollywood follow to help create the perfect Vigil Idiot comic?
Basically, it has to be a movie that takes itself more seriously than its script demands, which is why I try to stay away from comedies.

Take us through the creation of a Vigil Idiot review.
I watch a film, and if it’s bad enough, I make fun of it with my friends. Then I come home and write it all down. A nd then I Google all the characters’ names because I can never-ever remember those. And voila, many hours later, there’s a comic ready to publish. The drawing part is the one that takes the least time, actually.

We hear you’ve received marriage proposals on your website. In a similar vein, any death threats from the Bollywood fraternity?
Quite the opposite, actually. The few people from the industry who’ve got in touch have a ll been big fans. Even if it’s their movie being made fun of. Although, the day I start getting death threats is the day I’ll truly start believing that I have arrived!

Quick Laughs

When did you realise you were funny?
I was a pretty geeky kid in school, so I realised early that if I ever had to have a shot with the girl s, funny was pretty much the only road open to me. Which isn’t to say that I’m funny enough for that to have worked even now.

What makes you laugh?
I have the worst sense of humour in the world, in that literally anything can make me laugh! Ironically, the only things that seem to make me cringe are most of the comedies coming out of Bollywood these days.

Your favourite Vigil Idiot strip:
Anything with SRK! Ra.One is the current favourite.

Is The Vigil Idiot making you rich?
Well, plans are in the offing to make that happen. We’ll see how they pan out, fingers crossed!
Who would you gift a sense of humour?
Our politicians, man! All the problems in the world would be solved if everyone just had the ability to laugh at themselves.
What came f irst: th e laugh or the joke?
I laugh at a lot of things that are inappropriate and not jokey at all, so I’d definitely say that that ’s what came first.

 

Volume 2 Issue 10