Munawar Iqbal Faruqui (born 28 January 1992) is an Indian stand-up comedian, rapper and singer. In 2022, he won the reality TV show, Lock Upp 1.[5] In 2023, he participated in Bigg Boss 17 and emerged as the winner.
| Munawar Faruqui | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Faruqui in 2024 | ||||||||||
| Birth name | Munawar Iqbal Faruqui | |||||||||
| Born | 28 January 1992[1] Junagadh, Gujarat, India[2] | |||||||||
| Medium | Stand-up comedy | |||||||||
| Nationality | Indian | |||||||||
| Years active | 2018–present | |||||||||
| Genres | ||||||||||
| Spouse |
| |||||||||
| Children | 1 | |||||||||
YouTube information | ||||||||||
| Channel | ||||||||||
| Years active | 2018–present | |||||||||
| Genre |
| |||||||||
| Subscribers | 5 million[4] | |||||||||
| Total views | 400 million[4] | |||||||||
| ||||||||||
Last updated: 23 January 2024 | ||||||||||
Early life and education
Faruqui was born in Junagadh, Gujarat,[6][7] on 28 January 1992 into a Gujarati Muslim family.[8] His father lost the money and came under a huge debt.[9] Due to financial constraints, he left school after the 5th class.[10] He started to work to make the ends meet. Still a child, he worked at a gift shop and later joined his mother & grandmother in making and selling samosas and chaklis.[9] His mother committed suicide when he was 14 years old. After his mother's death, he relocated to Mumbai at his aunt's request.[9][11] He started to do some odd jobs in Mumbai.[12] In 2020, his father passed away, after being paralysed.[12]
Career
In April 2020, he uploaded a standup comedy video named "Dawood, Yamraaj & Aurat" on his YouTube channel.[13] He released his debut song "Jawab" in collaboration with Indian musician Spectra in August 2020.
On 28 February 2021, he uploaded a standup comedy video named "Ghost Story" on his YouTube Channel.[14]
In 2022, he became a contestant on Balaji Telefilms' reality television show Lock Upp, hosted by Kangana Ranaut.[15][16] On 8 May 2022, he was declared the show's winner.[17] The show was streamed on OTT platforms ALTBalaji and MX Player.[18]
In 2023, he became a contestant on the reality TV show Bigg Boss 17, hosted by Salman Khan. On 28 January 2024, he was declared the show's winner.[19]
Personal life
Faruqui married Jasmine[20][21] in 2017 but the marriage ended in divorce in 2022. The ex-couple has a five-year-old son.[22]
In December 2021, he started dating social media influencer Nazila Sitaishi.[7][23][24][25] In Bigg Boss 17, Ayesha Khan accused him of two-timing her and Sitaishi and being involved with multiple women.[26][27] Subsequently, on 18 December 2023, Sitaishi broke up with him on Instagram live, accusing him of cheating.[28][29] In May 2024, he married Mehzabeen Coatwala, a makeup artist.[30][31]
Controversy
Munawar Faruqui was on his tour performing stand up 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[32] accusing him of making malicious jokes about Hindu deities and the Minister of Home Affairs of India, Amit Shah.[33] 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.[34] The police, despite having no evidence against Munawar, still arrested him.[35]
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 the jailed Faruqui.[36] He was subsequently granted bail by the Supreme Court of India.[37] He spent 37 days in jail.[12]
On 26 March 2024, he was detained by Mumbai police during a raid at an illegal Hookah Bar in Mumbai. He was later released on bail as offence was bailable.[38][39]
Filmography
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Coldd Lassi Aur Chicken Masala | Roast Comic | ||
| 2022 | Lock Upp 1 | Contestant | Winner | [40] |
| 2023–2024 | Bigg Boss 17 | [41] |
Special appearances
| Year | Show | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Suhaagan: Ke Rang Jashn Ke Rang | Himself | Holi Celebration | [42] |
| Dance Deewane 4 | ||||
| Madness Machayenge – India Ko Hasayenge |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Singer(s) | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | "Halki Si Barsaat" | Saaj Bhatt | Featuring; Nazila Sitaishi | |
| 2022 | "Ik Tu Hi" | Rito Riba | Featuring; Oviya Darnal | |
| 2024 | "Halki Halki Si" | Asees Kaur, Saaj Bhatt | Featuring; Hina Khan | [43] |
Discography
| Year | Track | Co-artist | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | "Jawab" | Spectra | [44] | |
| "Nagpada Ka Rider" | Spectra | [45][46] | ||
| 2021 | "Aazmaish" | Nazz | [8][47] | |
| "Dus Lakh" | Spectra | [48][citation needed] | ||
| "Hunarat" | [49][50] | |||
| "Khawab" | DRJ Sohail | [51] | ||
| 2022 | "Kalandar" | Farhan Khan | [52] | |
| "Khamoshi" | Farhan Khan | [53] | ||
| "Todh" | Prince Narula | [48] | ||
| "Kaamil" | [48] | |||
| 2023 | "Alag BT" | Hitzone | From his first Album: "Madari" | |
| "Noor" | [54] | |||
| "Madari" | Farhan Khan, Charan | [55] | ||
| "Mumtaz" | ||||
| "Kajal" | ||||
| "Tu Lage Mujhe" | ||||
| "KOD" | ||||
| "Malaal" | ft.Rashmeet Kaur | |||
| "Legacy" | Ganesh Acharya | |||
| 2024 | "Dhandho" | Spectra |
References
External links
