Munawar Faruqui

Munawar Faruqui (born 28 January 1994) is an Indian comedian, rapper and singer. In 2022, he won the reality TV show Lock Upp 1, and in 2023 he participated in Bigg Boss 17 and emerged as the winner. He was born in Junagadh, Gujarat, into a Gujarati Muslim family, and due to financial constraints left school after the 5th class, working at a gift shop and helping his family make and sell samosas and chaklis. After his mother's death when he was 14, he relocated to Mumbai at his aunt's request.

In April 2020, Faruqui uploaded a stand-up comedy video named "Dawood, Yamraaj & Aurat" on his YouTube channel, and released his debut song "Jawab" in collaboration with Indian musician Spectra in August 2020. In 2022 he became a contestant on Balaji Telefilms' reality show Lock Upp, hosted by Kangana Ranaut, and was declared the winner on 8 May 2022. In 2023 he became a contestant on Bigg Boss 17, hosted by Salman Khan, and was declared the winner on 28 January 2024.

On 1 January 2021, Faruqui performed a stand-up show at Munro Cafe in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, which was interrupted by Eklavya Singh Gaur, who accused him of making malicious jokes about Hindu deities and Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah. He was arrested on 2 January under hate speech laws and spent 37 days in jail before being granted bail by the Supreme Court of India. The arrest drew criticism, including from a group of South Asian American comedians who staged a virtual show in solidarity. In March 2024 he was briefly detained during a police raid at an illegal hookah bar in Mumbai before being released on bail.