Munawar took a dig at actor Ananya Pandey for receiving the Best Debut Actress Award at the 2020 Filmfare. (Image: Instagram)
Comedian Munawar Faruqui said that if Ananya Pandey might have won the award because there may not have been any other debut performances that year.
Fans of stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui appreciate him for always fearlessly expressing his candid opinion on all matters, even if this candor lands him in trouble. In line with his spirit of honest expression, Munawar took a dig at actor Ananya Pandey for receiving the Best Debut Actress Award at the 2020 Filmfare. In an old interview clip that has resurfaced on Reddit, Munawar said that Ananya did not deserve the award.
Speaking to Siddharth Aalambayan during a YouTube interview, Munawar said, “Mere ko Oscar nahi chahiye. Mere ko Manikchand Filmfare mil jaaye. Ananya ko mil sakta hai toh mere khayal se mujhe bhi mil sakta hai. If Ananya Pandey ko award mil sakta hai, then kisi ko bhi mil sakta hai. Mujhe kya, tumhe bhi mil sakta hai. (I don’t want the Oscar, I want the Manikchand Filmfare. If Ananya Pandey can get the award, then anyone can, including you and I).”
When asked which award he was referring to, Munawar said, “Usko kuch toh mila na. Best newcomer ka mila. But best newcomer main bhi toh ‘best’ lagta hai na aage. Usko sirf newcomer ka milta toh samajh main aata, ki bhai nayi hai award de diya. Best newcomer means best. Toh ho sakta hai uss saal koi aur aaya hi na ho. No offence, no offence (She got the award for Best Newcomer, but even that has ‘best’ attached to it. It would be understandable if instead, she got an award just for being a newcomer. Maybe that year no one else gave their debut. No offence).”
Ananya Pandey has often been subjected to criticism since she began her acting career in 2019 in Student of the Year 2. However, her performance was appreciated in the 2022 film Gehraiyaan. She will soon be seen in Dream Girl 2 opposite Ayushmann Khurrana. The film is scheduled to release on August 25 this year.
