Munawar Faruqui


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Munawar Iqbal Faruqui (born 28 January 1992) is a well-known Indian stand-up comedian, writer and rapper.[3]

Munawar Faruqui
Born28 January 1992 (age 32)
Junagadh, Gujarat, India[1]
MediumStand-up comedy
NationalityIndian
Years active2018–present
GenresSatire, character comedy, Hip Hop (Rap), song writing
Subject(s)Bollywood, Indian culture Satire, everyday life

YouTube information

Channel
Years active2018–present
Genre(s)
  • Comedy, Hip Hop (Rap)
Subscribers2.13 Million[2]
Total views140 Million[2]
100,000 subscribers
1,000,000 subscribers

Last updated: 17/03/2022

Early life

Faruqui was born in Junagadh, Gujarat,[4][5] on 28 January 1992 to an Indian Muslim family.[6] 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 only 16 year old.[7]

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]

Career

In April 2020, he uploaded a standup comedy video named "Dawood, Yamraaj & Aurat" on his channel, which earned him, his initial stardom.[11] In August 2020, he launched his first official video song Jawab in association with Indian musician Spectra. After that he released eight hip-hop music videos which gained lot of public attention and popularity and also gained lot of admiration from Indian Hip Hop Industry.

In 28 Feb 2021, he uploaded a standup comedy video named "Ghost Story" on his YouTube Channel and that become one of the most popular and most loved videos of his channel.[12]

Latest collab

His latest ‘collab’ is with Kangana Ranaut for her controversial reality show Lock Upp[13][14]

Filmography

Television Show

Year Title Role Notes
2022 Lock Upp Contestant Reality show aired on MX Player

Discography

Year Track Artist Notes Ref.
2020 "Jawab" Munawar Faruqui, Spectra First official music video [15]
"Nagpada Ka Rider" Munawar Faruqui, Spectra [16][17]
2021 "Aazmaish" Munawar Faruqui, Nazz [6][18]
"Dus Lakh" Munawar Faruqui, Spectra
"Hunarat" Munawar Faruqui [19][20]
"Khwahish" Munawar Faruqui, DRJ Sohail [21]
2022 "Kalandar" Munawar Faruqui, Farhan Khan [22]
"Khamoshi" Munawar Faruqui, Farhan Khan [23]

Controversy

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[24] accusing him of making malicious jokes about Hindu deities and the Minister of Home Affairs of India, Amit Shah.[25] 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.[26] The police however, had no evidence against Munawar, still arrested him.[27]

Support citing freedom of speech

His arrest was heavily criticized 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.[28] He was subsequently granted bail by the Supreme Court of India.[29]

References

  1. ^ "From Dongri to MP jail — comic Munawar Faruqui's life is rife with humour, hustle & tragedy". ThePrint. 24 January 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ a b "About Munawar Faruqui". YouTube.
  3. ^ "Watch: Comic Munawar Faruqui teams up with musician Nazz for hip-hop song based on his own life". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  4. ^ "Who is Munawar Faruqui? Why was he arrested?". Hindustan Times. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  5. ^ "Everything you need to know about Munawar Faruqi". The Indian Express. 4 January 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ 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)
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ "10 Best Munawar Faruqui Stand Up Comedy Videos". Stand Up Comedy. 3 February 2022.
  12. ^ Staff, Scroll. "Watch: Comedian Munawar Faruqui's ghost story entertains viewers in this new stand-up video". Scroll.in.
  13. ^ "Munawar Faruqui's Latest 'Collab' Is With Kangana Ranaut For Her Reality Show Lock Upp!". Koimoi. 22 February 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  14. ^ "Comedian Munawar Faruqui is the second contestant in Kangana Ranaut's reality show 'Lock Upp".
  15. ^ "Jawab Lyrics - Munawar Faruqui".
  16. ^ Nagpada Ka Rider, 6 December 2020, retrieved 5 June 2021
  17. ^ "We Spoke with the Indian Comedian Who Was Arrested for Jokes He Didn't Crack". VICE. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  18. ^ "Aazmaish by Munawar Faruqui Lyrics | Insane Lyrics". 23 March 2021.
  19. ^ "Hunarat". Spotify. 28 July 2021.
  20. ^ "Munawar - Hunarat (Official Music Video) Prod By DRJ Sohail". YouTube.
  21. ^ "Khwahish - Lyrics : Munawar Faruqui - AsliHipHop". 18 November 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  22. ^ "Kalandar Lyrics – Munawar Faruqui x Farhan Khan". LyricsWrite. 26 January 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  23. ^ "khamoshi". Shazam.
  24. ^ "Eklavya Singh Gaur, The Complainant In Munawar Faruqui Case, May Make A Political Career Out Of It". Outlook India. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  25. ^ "Why comedian Munawar Faruqui was arrested: A timeline". Hindustan Times. 28 January 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  26. ^ Iyer, Aishwarya S. (22 January 2021). "Hardworking, Kind, A Friend: Munawar Faruqui Beyond The Headlines". TheQuint. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  27. ^ staff, thewire. "Police Say No Evidence Against Munawar Faruqui, Yet Press for Bail Plea Rejection". The Wire. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  28. ^ "South Asian American stand-up comedians to perform in support of Munawar Faruqui". Scroll.in. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  29. ^ "Munawar Faruqui released on bail after late-night call from top court judge". The Indian Express. 7 February 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021.