Munawar Iqbal Faruqui (born 28 January 1992[1]) is an Indian stand-up comedian and rapper.[4] In 2022 he appeared as a contestant on Kangana Ranaut's reality television show Lock Upp Season 1 and emerged as the winner of the show.
| Munawar Faruqui | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Faruqui in September 2022 | ||||||||||
| Birth name | Munawar Iqbal Faruqui | |||||||||
| Born | 28 January 1993[1] Junagadh, Gujarat, India[2] | |||||||||
| Medium | Stand-up comedy | |||||||||
| Years active | 2018–present | |||||||||
| Genres | ||||||||||
| Subject(s) |
| |||||||||
| YouTube information | ||||||||||
| Channel | ||||||||||
| Years active | 2018–present | |||||||||
| Genre |
| |||||||||
| Subscribers | 3.83 million[3] | |||||||||
| Total views | 262.15 million[3] | |||||||||
| ||||||||||
Last updated: 17 March 2023 | ||||||||||
Early lifeEdit
Faruqui was born in Junagadh, Gujarat,[5][6] on 28 January 1992 to an Indian Muslim family.[7] His family moved to Mumbai after his home was destroyed during the 2002 communal riots of Gujarat and his mother died soon after, when he was 16 year old.[2]
At the age of 17, he was compelled to work for his family when his father fell sick. He worked at a utensil store while attending school.[8][9]
In his early twenties, he worked as a graphic designer. In 2017, when various OTT platforms were introducing in India he became aware of comedy and he began working as a comedian.[10][8]
CareerEdit
In April 2020, he uploaded a standup comedy video named "Dawood, Yamraaj & Aurat" on his channel, which earned him, his initial stardom.[11] He released his debut song "Jawab" in collaboration with an Indian musician Spectra in August 2020.
In 28 Feb 2021, he uploaded a standup comedy video named "Ghost Story" on his YouTube Channel.[12]
In 2022 he became a contestant on Kangana Ranaut's reality television show Lock Upp.[13][14] On 8 May 2022 he was declared the show's winner.[15]
Legal issuesEdit
2021 arrestEdit
Faruqui was on his tour where he was performing comedy in different cities of India. On 1 January 2021, he performed a stand-up show at Munro Cafe in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, which was interrupted by Eklavya Singh Gaur, son of BJP MLA Malini Gaur[16] accusing him of making malicious jokes about Hindu deities and the Minister of Home Affairs of India, Amit Shah.[17] On 2 January, he was arrested by Madhya Pradesh Police in the midst of his comic act, stating that he was arrested under the Hate speech laws in India.[18] The police however, had no evidence against Munawar, still arrested him.[19]
His arrest was heavily criticised for not respecting a comedian's freedom of speech, including by a joint initiative of the global Indian diaspora on 2 February 2021, that said a group of South Asian American stand-up comedians will perform a virtual comedy show on 6 February 2021 to show their solidarity with jailed Faruqui.[20] He was subsequently granted bail by the Supreme Court of India.[21]
He received marked criticism for his actions, which were seen by some as being insulting of the religious beliefs of Hindus.
FilmographyEdit
TelevisionEdit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Coldd Lassi Aur Chicken Masala | Roast Comic | |
| 2022 | Lock Upp (Season 1) | Contestant | Winner |
DiscographyEdit
| Year | Track | Co-artist | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | "Jawab" | Spectra | [22] | |
| "Nagpada Ka Rider" | Spectra | [23][24] | ||
| 2021 | "Aazmaish" | Nazz | [7][25] | |
| "Dus Lakh" | Spectra | [26][citation needed] | ||
| "Hunarat" | [27][28] | |||
| "Khwahish" | DRJ Sohail | [29] | ||
| 2022 | "Kalandar" | Farhan Khan | [30] | |
| "Khamoshi" | Farhan Khan | [31] | ||
| "Kaamil" | [32] | |||
| "Halki Si Barsaat" | Nazila | [33] |
ReferencesEdit
- ^ a b "Working in a utensil store for Rs 60 per day, doing odd jobs to make ends meet; lesser known facts of Lock Upp contestant Munawar Faruqui". The Times of India. 12 March 2022.
- ^ a b Sirur, Simrin (24 January 2021). "From Dongri to MP jail — comic Munawar Faruqui's life is rife with humour, hustle & tragedy". ThePrint. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ a b "About Munawar Faruqui". YouTube.
- ^ "Watch: Comic Munawar Faruqui teams up with musician Nazz for hip-hop song based on his own life". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
- ^ "Who is Munawar Faruqui? Why was he arrested?". Hindustan Times. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
- ^ "Everything you need to know about Munawar Faruqi". The Indian Express. 4 January 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ a b Nainar, Nahla (2 June 2021). "Laughter challenger: Munawar Faruqui finds humour in life against all odds". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ a b Faleiro, Sonia (10 February 2021). "How An Indian Stand Up Comic Found Himself Arrested for a Joke He Didn't Tell". Time. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ Taskin, Bismee (26 February 2021). "Political hate has engulfed everyone on internet — Munawar Faruqui on safe jokes & jail trauma". The Print. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ M.N., Parth; Bengali, Shashank (5 February 2021). "The young Indian stand-up who went to jail for a joke he didn't tell". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ "10 Best Munawar Faruqui Stand Up Comedy Videos". Stand Up Comedy. 3 February 2022.
- ^ Scroll Staff. "Watch: Comedian Munawar Faruqui's ghost story entertains viewers in this new stand-up video". Scroll.in.
- ^ "Munawar Faruqui's Latest 'Collab' Is With Kangana Ranaut For Her Reality Show Lock Upp!". Koimoi. 22 February 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ "Comedian Munawar Faruqui is the second contestant in Kangana Ranaut's reality show 'Lock Upp". Bollywood Hungama. 22 February 2022.
- ^ "Munawar Faruqui wins Lock Upp season 1, Payal Rohatgi is first runner-up". Hindustan Times. 8 May 2022.
- ^ "Eklavya Singh Gaur, The Complainant In Munawar Faruqui Case, May Make A Political Career Out Of It". Outlook India. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
- ^ "Why comedian Munawar Faruqui was arrested: A timeline". Hindustan Times. 28 January 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
- ^ Iyer, Aishwarya S. (22 January 2021). "Hardworking, Kind, A Friend: Munawar Faruqui Beyond The Headlines". TheQuint. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
- ^ thewire staff. "Police Say No Evidence Against Munawar Faruqui, Yet Press for Bail Plea Rejection". The Wire. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
- ^ "South Asian American stand-up comedians to perform in support of Munawar Faruqui". Scroll.in. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ "Munawar Faruqui released on bail after late-night call from top court judge". The Indian Express. 7 February 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ "Jawab Lyrics - Munawar Faruqui".
- ^ Nagpada Ka Rider, 6 December 2020, retrieved 5 June 2021
- ^ "We Spoke with the Indian Comedian Who Was Arrested for Jokes He Didn't Crack". VICE. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
- ^ "Aazmaish by Munawar Faruqui Lyrics | Insane Lyrics". 23 March 2021.
- ^ Kaamil | Munawar | Prod by Shawie | Official Music Video | 2022, retrieved 20 August 2022
- ^ "Hunarat". Spotify. 28 July 2021.
- ^ "Munawar - Hunarat (Official Music Video) Prod By DRJ Sohail". YouTube.
- ^ "Khwahish - Lyrics : Munawar Faruqui - AsliHipHop". 18 November 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ "Kalandar Lyrics – Munawar Faruqui x Farhan Khan". LyricsWrite. 26 January 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ "khamoshi". Shazam.
- ^ Kaamil | Munawar | Prod by Shawie | Official Music Video | 2022, retrieved 20 August 2022
- ^ "Halki Si Barsaat: Munawar Faruqui-girlfriend Nazila's sweet romance will leave you with a smile". The Indian Express. 8 June 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
External linksEdit
