Munawar Faruqui announces new shows, month after hinting at quitting
What's the story
Popular comic Munawar Faruqui had made headlines last month after penning an emotional "farewell" note. "Hate has won...Goodbye, I'm done," he had written. But it seems like the fight is not over as the stand-up comedian has announced new shows in at least two cities now. This comes days after Telangana IT Minister KT Rama Rao extended him an open invite.
Context
Why does it matter?
The day Faruqui's Bengaluru show got called off owing to vandalism threats from certain organizations, the 29-year-old hinted at quitting the field. He claimed as many as 12 shows were canceled in the last two months due to similar threats. Following this, he was axed from a Gurgaon comedy festival. In a recent Instagram post, Faruqui revealed 16 of his shows were called off.
Details
He also recently performed in south Mumbai
On Saturday, Faruqui successfully performed at a show in south Mumbai, reportedly with the support of the All India Professional Congress (AIPC), Maharashtra. The same day, he announced a new show, Dhandho, on social media, to take place on January 16 in Kolkata. One day later came the details of the same show in Pune (for the January 7 slot). Tickets are live now.
Twitter Post
AIPC had apparently 'promised' to facilitate Faruqui's show last month
We promised on 27th Nov We delivered on 18th Dec.
— मॅथ्यू अँटनी|Mathew Antony|മാത്യു ആന്റണി (@mathewmantony) December 19, 2021
16 consecutive cancellations #MunawarFaruqui performs.Good luck for more.
@ProfCong @AIPCMaha @INCIndia stands to facilitate the rights of every citizen,as we firmly believe in that.
Long live democracy constitution. https://t.co/qfdkBWtdin pic.twitter.com/j7mSgAXDmm
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Kunal Kamra's shows were also canceled in Bengaluru
After Mumbai, Pune, and Kolkata, we might soon see the comic performing in Hyderabad. This is because KTR Friday sent out an "open invite" to Faruqui and fellow comedian Kunal Kamra. Notably, Kamra had earlier revealed his shows in Bengaluru were also canceled due to threats after Faruqui's post. The "ruling class is at least trying to oppress with equality," he posted on Twitter.
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KTR said Hyderabad was welcoming to all, Faruqui, Kamra included
"We don't cancel shows of Munawar Faruqui and Kunal Kamra just because we're not aligned with them politically," KTR said. He also took a dig at Bengaluru for claiming to be a "cosmopolitan city and...[still] taking comedy very seriously." Earlier this year, Faruqui had spent over a month in jail for allegedly mocking Hindu deities in one of his shows.