Munawar Faruqui who reached the reality show “Big Boss” with his anti-Hindu comedy is once again in controversy for using abusive language for the Konkani community. His video went viral on social media after which he was told to apologise in the matter or face the repercussions. He was threatened to be beaten. Faruqui has now apologised for his contentious ‘joke’ during a performance in Taloja following public backlash.
“Is everyone from Mumbai or has anyone travelled to come here,” he can be heard asking his audience to which a person replied that he is from Taloja. Faruqui then retorted, “He brought up Taloja as though it were a separate area, yet he would have claimed to be from Mumbai if someone from his village asked the same question.” He then added, “Yeh Konkani log ch***ya banate hein. (These Konkani people deceive others).” The audience member then admits to being Konkani while everyone around them bursts into laughter.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Nitesh Rane, while reacting to the viral clip, warned, “This green snake will have to go home and tell how the people of Konkan are. Then stand-up will start in Malvani.” He also released a video and threatened, “This green snake has started talking too much. We have the address of the house of the person who made fun of the Konkani person. We will teach him a lesson soon. Won’t take long to send a green snake like you to Pakistan.”
.@munawar0018 pic.twitter.com/p8CxplcVdd
— Nitesh Rane (@NiteshNRane) August 12, 2024
Faruqui has since apologised for his remark and claimed that it was part of his “crowd work,” a common practice in stand-up comedy involving interaction with the audience. He also expressed regret for hurting anyone’s sentiments. “I have noticed that some people are getting hurt over my clip and as a comedian, I don’t want to hurt anyone. The comment was made during the crowd work and it was never my intention to hurt or mock anyone. I have many finds from the area. The people I made the joke about also enjoyed the show a lot. There were people from all backgrounds at the show including Marathis, Muslims and Hindus. I have man However, when we see such things on the internet, we notice it and we understand the issue. Being a stand-up comedian, my job is to make people laugh and not hurt people, so I apologise with the depth of my heart to all those people who were hurt by my statement. Please forgive me. Jai Hind, Jai Maharashtra.”
कोकणावर खूप खूप प्रेम आणि माझी माफी❤️ pic.twitter.com/pUSPYuZ9Kf
— munawar faruqui (@munawar0018) August 12, 2024
Munawar Faruqui and his anti-Hindu remarks
The ‘comedian’ sparked public outrage due to his controversial portrayal and mockery of Hindu deities, as well as his mocking remarks regarding the victims of the Godhra train burning attack. The tragic event occurred when a Muslim mob set fire to the Sabarmati Express near Godhra station, resulting in the death of 59 karsevaks.
In January 2021, Faruqui was arrested for making indecent remarks about Hindu deities during his stand-up performances. Although he was later released, his comments on Hindu genocide and derogatory statements about Hindu Gods led to widespread protests against his shows.
In April 2020, Faruqui made fun of the 2002 Godhra massacre, in which a Muslim mob burned alive 59 Hindus, who were returning from Ayodhya. He described the carnage as a fictional film “directed” by Amit Shah and “produced” by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in a segment of the show that became popular on social media.
Despite issuing an apology, claiming that he never intended to hurt anyone’s sentiments with his jokes, Munawar Faruqui continued to engage in demeaning portrayals of Hindus and their cultural heritage through his ‘comedy’ performances.
