Mumbai woke up to another day of dense haze and poor visibility, with pollution levels continuing to trouble residents across the city. While frustration grows among commuters and families battling cough, irritation, and fatigue, comedian Vir Das has turned the grim situation into a moment of satirical relief. His latest musical roast—now going viral—captures the everyday suffocation Mumbaikars are experiencing as the air quality continues to dip.
Vir Das Skewers Mumbai’s Smog With A Viral Musical Punch
The comedian’s new track opens on a dramatic note with the line, “Woke up this morning and I took a little breath. God showed up because he thought that I was dead. I was like, hang on, bro, it’s because of the smoke. It’s just life inside a desi metro. A.Q.I.YAI YAIII!”
He then goes straight for Mumbai’s worsening air: “F**k my life and I really try to keep the spirit of Mumbai, Smoke is wrong, We can’t see eye to eye. And my throat is dry, Bandra Worli Sea Link, I can’t see either side.”
Switching targets, Vir lampoons the city’s never-ending development rush: “Builders building every day. Do we need 9000 BHKs? If your kids are locked in a room, you hear bulldozers boom, Dadaji is like, let me die beta, it’s not too soon.”
He closes the song with a comedic coughing beat, symbolising the harsh reality of breathing in the city today.
The track follows another recent viral video where he joked about having “stopped coughing altogether,” quipping that the real smoke is “what’s happening inside you.”
City’s AQI Slightly Improves, Still ‘Poor’ Across Most Pockets
Despite some marginal improvement, Mumbai’s air quality stayed firmly in the ‘poor’ category on Thursday. Data from aqi.in recorded an overall AQI of 130, with several areas crossing the 140–150 mark.
Mazgaon reported 151, Worli 132, Deonar 144, BKC 144, and Navy Nagar in Colaba logged 154, among the highest numbers. Powai and Borivali East stood at 119, while Malad West and Kandivali East recorded 117 and 112, respectively.
IMD Predicts Continued Hazy Conditions; BMC Credits GRAP IV Steps
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) expects hazy skies to persist for the next two days, with temperatures hovering around 32°C and 23°C. Dry weather is also likely to continue.
A senior BMC Environment Department official acknowledged that although the air remains unhealthy, the numbers have inched downward because of ongoing interventions.
“Because of the positive interventions under GRAP IV, like closure of polluting bakeries, stop-work orders to construction sites not following air pollution control norms, regular water misting, deep cleaning drives etc., the AQI has slightly improved. We will continue these actions over the weekend, and flying squads are on duty across all 24 wards,” the officer said.