Vir Das compares breathing Mumbai air to smoking; netizens have a field day

Vir Das on breathing in Mumbai

Comedian and actor Vir Das, known for his witty take on social issues, recently turned his attention to Mumbai’s worsening air pollution. Taking to Instagram, he humorously compared breathing in the city to smoking cigarettes, sparking a wave of reactions from netizens.

Vir’s post read, “I’ll smoke a cigarette socially maybe fifteen days a year. The remaining days I’m a breathing Mumbaikar. Same taste. Today Mumbai was a Marlboro Light.” His comparison resonated with many and set off a meme fest in the comments section. Even actress Sonam Kapoor reshared his post, highlighting the growing concern over Mumbai’s deteriorating air quality.

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Vir’s comment prompted a flood of witty responses, with many drawing comparisons between Mumbai’s pollution and Delhi’s infamous air quality. One user joked, “Bhai, Delhi aao, 10 hukka chal raha hai roz ka” (Brother, come to Delhi, where 10 hookahs run daily). Another quipped, “Come to Delhi, Habibi.”

Some users took a more dramatic approach. One commenter wrote, “I just arrived in Mumbai, and my opinion—evacuate the city and fix it!” Meanwhile, others continued the cigarette analogy, with one saying, “I live in Delhi. It rained yesterday, so we are Esse Lights at the moment. Usually, we are Marlboro Advance.” Another added, “Delhi keeps changing taste until it turns into Gudang Garam.”

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Vir Das’ post comes at a time when discussions about India’s air quality are gaining momentum. Recently, American entrepreneur Bryan Johnson made headlines after walking out of Nikhil Kamath’s podcast due to poor air quality in Mumbai. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Johnson urged Indians to take action, stating, “You will do more to improve India's health by cleaning up the air than by curing cancer.”