Vir Das, the turbunator

Vir Das will be playing a Sikh character in 1984. The film will take a look at a Sikh couple trying to preserve their life, faith and dignity during the infamous anti-Sikh riots after Indira Gandhi's assassination in 1984. The film will be directed by Shivaji Lotan Patil who won the National Award for Best Director last year for his Marathi film Dhag.

Says Vir, "It's a serious dramatic role with tremendous scope for emotional expression. And I play a Sardar, hence the facial growth. I also gave to wear the turban. It isn't difficult for me to get a hang of the way a Sardarji dresses, speaks and behaves because a lot of my friends in boarding school in Sanawar were Sikhs. So I grew up with a Sikh population."

As part of preparing for the role, Vir is learning how to speak thet Punjabi. Even though he was given a choice of learning the accent and language on set during the shoot, the actor chose to spend some time with his assistant Gurmeet who is teaching him how to speak like a Sikh. A source reveals that Vir is often spotted sitting with Gurmeet and having long conversations in Punjabi.

Vir and Soha Ali Khan, who plays his wife, would be going through some months of rehearsals to get comfortable together as a couple. Vir has worked with Soha in Go Goa Gone. Soha and Vir get along well since then.