Munawar Faruqui, the stand-up comedian, several of whose shows in Mumbai were cancelled recently following threats from the Bajrang Dal, said it is wrong to affect the livelihood of the staff who work behind the stages by forcibly pulling such shows. In the interview with NDTV, he further added that political leaders in the country are trying to shut the voices of artists.
Faruqui also said he feels bad for the audience who had booked tickets for the show. He noted that if the country’s youth can make voting decisions, then they can decide what shows to watch as well.
Soon after the comedian announced his Dongri to Nowhere shows in Mumbai, #GoBckMunawar had begun trending on Twitter. Faruqui subsequently cancelled his shows scheduled for October 29, 30 and 31 in Mumbai citing concerns about “audience safety.”
Owners of the venues where these shows were to be hosted told The Indian Express that members of the Bajrang Dal – the Hindu nationalist militant organisation that forms the youth wing of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) – had come down to Mumbai from Gujarat and threatened to burn their places down if they went ahead with the show that the extremist organisation claimed was “against Hindus.” One of the organisers also cited “tremendous pressure” from the police as a reason for cancelling the show. The police had allegedly served notice that the owners would be booked in case of any disruption to law and order.
Prior to the cancellation of Faruqui’s Mumbai shows, in September, Bajrang Dal, had said that it would not allow the comedian to perform in Gujarat and had threatened the organisers there to cancel the scheduled shows or face consequences.
On the cancellation of the shows, Faruqui told NDTV, “What is happening is unfortunate. Lots of wrongs are happening in this country. The bigger issue is that for these three shows, a total of 1,500 people bought tickets a month ago. I feel bad for them. This is a sad reality with which many people in this country are living.”
The comedian also said he feels bad for the 80 people, including drivers, volunteers, and guards, whose livelihood depends on these shows and who have been jobless for the past one-and-a-half years due to the pandemic.
He further noted that “everyone is targeted” but what scares him is how in his case, “they use religion.” Faruqui revealed that he had to change three SIM cards because he was getting “50 threat calls daily” after his number got leaked.
“I have understood that some people are trying to gain political advantage out of this,” he said.
Earlier this year, on January 1, Faruqui was arrested while performing at Indore for “hurting religious sentiments.”
When performing at Indore’s Monroe Cafe, local BJP legislator Malini Laxman Singh Gaur’s son Aklavya Gaur Singh, who claimed to be the head of a youth organisation named Hind Rakshak, went on stage and disrupted the show. The comedian, and those in the audience who raised their voice in support of Faruqui, were manhandled.
Later, while the attackers went scot-free, Faruqui, his friend Sadakat Khan, who was in the audience, three other comedians performing at the show, and the event coordinator were all arrested.
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After being denied bail multiple times, Faruqui was finally granted interim bail by the Supreme Court on February 5 and released the following day.
During the NTDV interview, Faruqui mentioned that he has done almost 50 shows across the country since getting out of jail and in 90% of these shows, he received a standing ovation from the audience. “The audience doesn’t care who belongs to which religion or caste. There are no comments on any religion in my shows,” he said.
The comedian also noted that he is being targeted by the Bajrang Dal based on a 10-second video clip from a two-hour long show. “You show the clip out of context and say I have insulted (Hindu gods).”
“Hate won, so the shows got cancelled. But till when? We will win,” he said, adding that he will “continue to spread smiles.”