MUMBAI: Actor-comedian Vir Das says preparing for his starring role in upcoming show "Hasmukh" was the best part of working on the project.

He "consciously watched" a lot of shows by local stand-up comics to get his character in the Netflix show right.

"A lot of my research had started when I was writing the show. But when I began my prep as an actor, I consciously watched a lot of shows by local stand-up comics," Vir said.

"I had finished 'Jestination Unknown' around the same time so by virtue of that I'd learnt that humour is rooted in local styles and culture. There is more banter. The stories are intimate. I used all of that in Hasmukh's set. Watching more and more comics nudged me towards finding the right persona for 'Hasmukh'," he added.

Talking about his character, Vir explained: "He is essentially an introvert and his stage person is a lot more open. I chalked out everything that Hasmukh would want to include in his set, figured a delivery style for him and made it entirely different from what he is off stage. The prep was actually the best part of the show for me. I enjoyed it to bits."

"Hasmukh" is about an ambitious comic on a mission to prove to his mentor that he is a good comedian. It shows how every dream comes with a price and Hasmukh (Vir Das) realises that the only way to "kill it on stage", is if he "kills off stage".

Also featuring Ranvir Shorey, Manoj Pahwa, Amrita Bagchi, Suhail Nayyar, Inaamulhaq and Raza Murad, "Hasmukh" is directed by Nikhil Gonsalves and will release on April 17. The Netflix show is produced for Applause Entertainment by Emmay Entertainment.