Stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui is all set to feature in the digital reality show Lock Upp. The show by Ekta Kapoor will be hosted by Kangana Ranaut and is scheduled to stream from February 27 on ALT Balaji and MX player. Besides being a popular stand-up comedian, Munawar Faruqui is also a writer and rapper. He has done various stand-up comedy shows and is well-known for his political and observational gigs.
The comedian was born on January 28, 1992, in the Junagadh district of Gujarat. He and his family left Gujarat in 2007 and came to Mumbai. The family had witnessed the 2002 Gujarat riots and wanted to start a fresh life in Mumbai. From a young age, Munawar started working at a utensil store due to his father’s illness and the financial condition of the family. Later, he became a graphic designer and worked with private firms.
In 2017, he started his journey as a comedian. In 2018, he became the winner of Comic Kaun 4.0 and Open Mic at Synergy Fest. He started his YouTube channel in 2020 where he currently has 1.8 million subscribers.
Apart from comedy, Munawar also entered the world of rapping with his first song ‘Jawab’ during the COVID-19 lockdown. He followed it up with various music videos.
He has often been in the news for his comedy gigs which were not received well by a section of the society. In April 2020, former Shiv Sena member Ramesh Solanki filed a complaint against Munawar with Mumbai Police after his YouTube video about the Godhra riots went viral. Last year too, he was in headlines for his arrest for allegedly hurting religious sentiments of Hindus by making alleged objectionable comments on Hindu deities and making jokes on political leaders.
He was arrested by the Madhya Pradesh Police before he could perform his January 1 show in Indore last year. The show was a part of his all-India tour, Dongri to Nowhere. Comedians like Vir Das came out in support of Munawar. After undergoing a lot of legal struggles for a month, he was released on bail.
After coming out of jail, he collaborated with Indian musician Nazz for the hip-hop song Aazmaish in March 2021. Last year, his 12 shows in a row got cancelled after local police warned of conflict. In November 2021, Munawar even posted a heartfelt message on his Instagram where he hinted about quitting comedy.
Now, the comedian is all set to be a part of Lock Upp. Besides Munawar Faruqui, public figure Poonam Pandey and TV actress Nisha Rawal have been confirmed as contestants for the OTT reality show.
