| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Munawar Iqbal Faruqui [1]YouTube- Munawar Faruqui |
| Profession(s) | Stand-up Comedian, Rapper |
| Known for | Being the winner of the first season of Kangana Ranaut‘s show Lock Upp |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters– 175 cm in meters– 1.75 m in feet & inches– 5’ 9” |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Hair Colour | Dark Brown |
| Career | |
| Awards | • Winner of Comic Kaun 4.0 by Pizza Burst (2018) • Winner of Open Mic at the Synergy Fest (2018)  |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 28 January 1992 (Tuesday) |
| Age (as of 2023) | 31 Years |
| Birthplace | Junagadh, Gujarat |
| Zodiac sign | Aquarius |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Dongri, Mumbai, Maharashtra |
| Religion | Islam [2]BBC |
| Controversies | • Arrested for hurting religious sentiments of Hindus: On 1 January 2021, Munawar Faruqui was arrested by Madhya Pradesh Police on the complaint filed by Aklavya Laxman Singh Gaur, the son of BJP MLA Malini Gaur, for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus. During one of his shows of the nation-wide tour ‘Dongri to Nowhere,’ police, along with a group of men from a Hindu organisation called Hind Rakshak Sangathan, stormed the venue in Indore claiming that Faruqui had made indecent remarks about Hindu deities and Home Minister Amit Shah in his comedy show. After being in jail for 35 days, Faruqui was granted bail by the Supreme Court on 5 February 2021. [3]The Print
• Venue vandalism threats by Hindu right-wing outfits: After his arrest in January 2021, in the wake of the threats to venue vandalism by Hindu right-wing outfits, Faruqui’s stand-up comedy shows were opposed in various cities. In December 2021, K. T. Rama Rao, Telangana IT minister and Telangana Rashtra Samithi’s (TRS) working president, invited Faruqui and comedian Kunal Kamra to perform in Hyderabad for which Rama Rao was slammed by Dharmapuri Arvind, a BJP MP from Telangana. Dharmapuri Arvind also threatened that comedian Munawar Faruqui’s show, which was to be held on 9 January 2022 in Hyderabad, will not be allowed. [4]Scroll.in While speaking to the media, Arvind Dharmapuri said, |
| Relationships & More | |
| Marital Status | Divorced [5]The Siasat Daily |
| Affairs/Girlfriends | Nazila Sitaishi (model) Note: Munawar was reported to be dating Nazila Sitaishi in December 2021. Although there were rumors of breakup in 2022, but both Munawar and Nazila later refuted them. [6]Hindustan Times In an episode of Bigg Boss 17, Munawar mentioned being in a relationship for two years but did not disclose the name of his partner. [7]The Siasat Daily |
| Marriage Date | Year, 2017 [8]The Siasat Daily |
| Family | |
| Wife/Spouse | Name Not Known
Note: On an episode of Lock Upp, a reality show hosted by Kangana Ranaut, he revealed that he was married and had a child. [9]The Indian Express |
| Children | Son– Mikael
Note: Image is in ‘Wife/Spouse’ section. |
| Parents | Names Not Known Note: His father was a driver. |
| Siblings | Sister(s)-He has three sisters and one of them is named Shabana. |
| Style Quotient | |
| Bike Collection | KTM RC 200 |
| Money Factor | |
| Salary (approx.) | According to a story highlight on his Instagram account, he earns Rs. 1.5 lakh per comedy show. [10]Munawar Faruqui’s Instagram
Note: In October 2023, Munawar was said to be among the highest-paid contestants on the show ‘Bigg Boss 17.’ He was reported to receive approximately Rs. 7-8 lakh per week for his participation in the show. [11]Hindustan |
| Net Worth (approx.) | Rs. 2 crores (as of October 2023) [12]Hindustan |
Some Lesser Known Facts About Munawar Faruqui
- Munawar Faruqui is an Indian standup comedian and rapper who is popular for his YouTube videos Dawood, Yamraaj & Aurat (2020), Ghost Story (2021), and Doctor & Engineer (2021).
- His home was destroyed during the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat. When he was 16, his mother died by suicide. Fedup of his tumultuous life in Junagadh, his father shifted the family to Mumbai in 2007, to make a fresh start.
- In 2008, his father fell sick and became bedridden. Therefore, he had to take charge of his family at the age of 17. Thereafter, he assumed the responsibility of his three sisters’ marriage. To make ends meet, he worked during the day and pursued a computer course in the evening.
- Before becoming a standup comedian, Faruqui worked as a utensil seller, a salesman, in a shop.
- In his early twenties, Faruqui worked as a graphic designer in a reputable firm, where he discovered that he was good at coming up with witty one-liners for posters.
- Faruqui decided to venture into stand-up comedy while pursuing one of his odd jobs. Apparently, he was present on the shooting set of an advertisement in which the makers were replicating a stand-up comedy scene. As the makers of the advertisement fell short on the extras, they asked Munawar to sit and pose as an audience. Thereafter, the makers asked him to go on the stage and say two lines. While delivering those lines Faruqui felt the urge to begin his career in the comedy business. While talking about this incident in an interview, Faruqui’s friend Balraj Singh Ghai said,
He said when he went on stage and said those two lines, it felt powerful, like it was something he should do for real. He came for some of our open mics and became an instant hit.”
- Intrigued by standup comedy, he started visiting open mics. Although at home his family encouraged their children to pursue a career of their choice, they initially dismissed standup as “time-pass” when Faruqui began to show an interest in it. It was when people started approaching him for selfies that his family realised that stand-up comedy was a full-time profession.
- In July 2019, he performed his first one hour Gujarati show titled “Dodh Dahyo” in Malad, Mumbai.
- He started uploading standup comedy videos on his self-titled YouTube channel in January 2020, and soon, he gained massive popularity. On 24 January 2020, Munawar released his first video titled ‘Politics in India,’ which marked his breakthrough moment.
- His first ticketed show opened in Mumbai in February 2020. In the same month, his father died. In an interview in 2021, while talking about his dilemma, he said,
Last year has been testing. I lost my father in February, but also got my first shows in Mumbai, the same month. There have been days I’d be crying in the green room just before being called up to the stage.”
- During the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, Munawar Faruqi’s fictional character Razzaqbhai which he used in his Instagram videos, attracted many followers.
- In April 2020, he struck stardom with the stand-up comedy video titled ‘Dawood, Yamraaj & Aurat,’ uploaded on his channel. In the video, Faruqui talked about his residential area, Dongri, a neighbourhood in South Mumbai known for fostering criminals like Dawood Ibrahim. He said,
Have you heard of Dongri? Every time I mention it, half the people I’m speaking to don’t know what I’m talking about, and the other half turn around and say, ‘Oh, that Dawood wala?’ But what kind of stereotype is this? But Dongri isn’t famous just because of Dawood, there is Haji Mastan, Tiger Memon — what gangsters we’ve given.”
Immensely appreciated, the video has garnered over 10 million views.
- After performing the set ‘Dongri to Nowhere’ for the first time in August 2019, in October 2020, he started its nationwide tour. Due to the controversy in which he was arrested in Indore, the tour came to a halt.
- In February 2020, he uploaded ‘The Chowkidar Song’ in which he mixed music with comedy to mock the Modi government. In March 2020, he uploaded the video ‘The NRC Song,’ which featured jokes about Delhi Riots and sarcasm and satire on Indian politics on his channel.
- In August 2020, he released his first official music video “Jawab” in collaboration with Indian musician Spectra.
- A group of South Asian American stand-up comedians, performed a virtual comedy show on 6 February 2021 to showcase unanimity among standup comedians and to exhibit their support for Munawar Faruqui, who, at that time, was jailed after his arrest in Indore on 1 January 2021.
- In March 2021, Munawar teamed up with the Indian musician Nazz for a hip-hop song titled “Aazmaish,” based on his own life. Written by Munawar and music composed by Audiocrackerr, the song centred around his arrest in Indore.
- In April 2021, he established his second YouTube channel ‘Munawar Faruqui 2.0’ in which he uploads his live stream videos while playing various games like Super Mario, Grand Theft Auto V, and Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout.
- Munawar Faruqui occasionally enjoys smoking hookah.
Munawar Faruqui smoking hookah
- After 16 cancellations of his shows across several states because of threats from Hindutva outfits, Munawar Faruqui performed in Mumbai at a show facilitated by All India Professional’s Congress of Maharashtra in December 2021. Since his arrest in January 2021 in Indore, Hindutva groups had constantly targeted him.
- On 8 May 2022, Munawar Faruqui emerged the winner of Kangana Ranaut‘s show Lock Upp; he took home a trophy, Rs. 20 lakh cash prize, and a brand new car. Payal Rohatgi and Anjali Arora were announced as the first and second runner-up, respectively. During the show, the comedian talked about many things about his past; his divorce, his mother’s suicide, and being sexually assaulted as a child. [13]The Indian Express
- In 2023, Munawar appeared as a contestant in a reality show titled ‘Bigg Boss 17,’ which aired on Colors TV.
Munawar Faruqui in ‘Bigg Boss 17’ (2023)
