Catch comic Munawar Faruqui perform live this weekend in Mumbai

Munawar Faruqui. Pic Courtesy/Facebook

From a lock-up to Lock Upp, stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui has had an eventful year. Yet somehow, in the face of all the hate-mongering, he has managed to hold on to comedy, with a smile always playing on his lips, and some shayari thrown in for good measure. "I didn't set out to prove my haters wrong. Those who misunderstood me, weren't aware of the entire context because that's how the Internet works; you see something, you don't dig deeper. But once you get to know me, you can't hate me," he chuckles.

In January last year, the comedian was arrested based on a complaint that he was going to make objectionable remarks about Hindu deities at a show. Since his release, he has also battled several cancelled shows, after threats by right-wing groups. Earlier this year, he fought it out on a reality TV show to emerge as the winner. And today and tomorrow, Faruqui is set to take the stage across different locations in Mumbai to do what he loves the most - crack jokes in person.

Ahead of his show, Dongri to Nowhere, he recalls that he had no dreams of being a comedian while growing up. "I had gone to the mall on a Sunday for window shopping - because kapde toh Mohammad Ali Road se hi khareed te the - and I saw the comedian Anirban Dasgupta whose work had impressed me. I met him but forgot to click a picture, so I followed him till the comedy club. There, for the first time, I saw posters of an open mic," Faruqui tells us. With advice from Dasgupta on open mics in Mumbai, Faruqui soon found himself at one. The rest, as they say, is history.

Dongri to Nowhere is one of Faruqui's most popular sets. "I had performed it before the pandemic too, but I put that footage out on YouTube, so the material expired. I started writing again in the lockdown," he shares. In the set, the comedian has drawn on life experiences from his home state Gujarat to Dongri. "It has the flavour of India and us, in terms of who we are. It's quite relatable and in a storytelling format," he asserts.

Having been on a TV show, sung songs and performed live, the comedian says he holds the latter especially close to his heart. "It gives me hope when I see people having a good time at my show, because today we are surrounded by too much stress and an offensive reality," he signs off.

On: July 1, 7 pm; July 2, 8.30 pm.
At: Nehru Centre, Worli (July 1) Aspee Auditorium, Malad West (July 2).
Cost: Rs 999 onwards