Munawar Faruqui

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. In 2023, he participated in Bigg Boss 17 and emerged as the winner.

Early life and education
Faruqui was born in Junagadh, Gujarat, on 28 January 1992 into a Gujarati Muslim family. His father lost the money and came under a huge debt. Due to financial constraints, he left school after the 5th class. 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. His mother committed suicide when he was 14 years old. After his mother's death, he relocated to Mumbai at his aunt's request. In 2020, his father passed away, after being paralysed.

Career
In April 2020, he uploaded a standup comedy video named "Dawood, Yamraaj & Aurat" on his YouTube channel. 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.

In 2022, he became a contestant on Balaji Telefilms' reality television show Lock Upp, hosted by Kangana Ranaut. On 8 May 2022, he was declared the show's winner. The show was streamed on OTT platforms ALTBalaji and MX Player.

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.

Personal life
Faruqui married Jasmine in 2017 but the marriage ended in divorce in 2022. The ex-couple has a five-year-old son.

In December 2021, he started dating social media influencer Nazila Sitaishi. In Bigg Boss 17, Ayesha Khan accused him of two-timing her and Sitaishi and being involved with multiple women. Subsequently, on 18 December 2023, Sitaishi broke up with him on Instagram live, accusing him of cheating. In May 2024, he married Mehzabeen Coatwala, a makeup artist.

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 accusing him of making malicious jokes about Hindu deities and the Minister of Home Affairs of India, Amit Shah. 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. The police, despite having no evidence against Munawar, still arrested him.

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. He was subsequently granted bail by the Supreme Court of India. He spent 37 days in jail.

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.