Munawar Faruqui, the comedian who won Lock Upp and Bigg Boss 17, has shared a detail about his childhood that puts his entire career in a different light. Long before the reality TV trophies and sold-out stand-up shows, he was an eight-year-old boy selling things at a small shop for ₹10 to ₹20 per day. He was also a class topper who wanted to study but had to stop after Class 6 because his family needed the money.
The Bigg Boss 17 winner spoke about this on former tennis star Sania Mirza‘s podcast, Serving It Up With Sania. His words were simple and direct, without any dramatic pauses.
“I was eight years old when I started working. I used to work at a small shop and sell different things. I would earn Rs 10-20 a day.”
From a Small Shop to a Gift Store and Then a Utensil Shop
The first job was not a one-off. At 11, Munawar Faruqui moved to a gift shop and stayed there for two to four months. His first “proper job,” as he described it, was at a utensil shop. The journey from selling small items to handling steel and kitchenware was not a career plan. It was a child doing whatever work came his way to help his family survive.
What makes this detail stand out is what he said next. He was not a struggling student. He was a top performer in his class.
“I wanted to study, but I couldn’t. I was very good at studies. I studied till Class 6 and was among the best students in my class. I used to come first.”
Munawar Faruqui also said he does not feel disappointed about leaving school. Looking back, he sees how much he enjoys working. That enjoyment did not come from a comfortable place. It came from years of doing jobs that most children never have to think about.
The Family Situation That Forced the Decision
Munawar Faruqui was born on January 28, 1992, in Junagadh, Gujarat, into a Gujarati Muslim family. His father lost money and fell into heavy debt. The family’s financial condition left no room for school fees or books. His mother managed the household on a tiny daily budget, doing embroidery and making torans to earn extra money so the family could eat.
Munawar lost his mother when he was a teenager. Sources state he was 13 or 14 at the time. After her death, he moved to Mumbai at the request of his aunt. In Mumbai’s Dongri area, he worked at a utensil shop in Null Bazaar for ₹60 per day with 13-hour shifts. A family member recalled that he was barely 14 and already working long hours.
The Job That Changed the Direction
The utensil shop was not the end of the road. Munawar Faruqui took a course in graphic designing while working at the utensil store. In 2009, he got a job as a graphic designer. At the advertising agency, he started as an errand boy and became a creative director within four years. He kept that job until 2018, when he left to focus on comedy.
Comedy started in small ways. He would make jokes at the office where he worked as a graphic designer, and that pushed him to try stand-up. He started a YouTube channel and uploaded stand-up acts, roast videos, and singing clips. His video “Dawood, Yamraaj & Aurat” got a strong response in April 2020.
The Reality TV Wins That Made Him a Household Name
The stand-up work led to Lock Upp in 2022, hosted by Kangana Ranaut. Munawar Faruqui won the show. The win brought him a much wider audience. In 2024, he won Bigg Boss 17, hosted by Salman Khan. The prize money for Bigg Boss 17 was ₹50 lakh.
“If I deny their contribution, then I would be a shameless person. ‘Lock Upp’ helped a lot in getting me new audiences. I think I gave it 100%. That show had a strong celebrity line-up, but I stood out.”
What He Is Doing Now
Munawar Faruqui is currently hosting Pati Patni Aur Panga Season 2 with Sonali Bendre on Colors TV. He is also touring with his stand-up special Dhandho, which has dates across India and international cities including Perth, Sydney, and London.
His personal life has moved forward as well. He married Mehzabeen Coatwala in May 2024. He has a son, Mikael, from his first marriage to Jasmine.
The Weight of the Story
The fact that Munawar Faruqui was a topper who left school after Class 6 is not a small biographical detail. It is the reason he speaks about work the way he does today. He said he can work every day and does not like taking holidays. People tell him he works very hard, but he feels everyone works as much as he does.
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That view of work did not come from a motivational book. It came from selling goods for ₹10 a day as an eight-year-old, and from washing utensils for ₹60 a day as a teenager in a new city. Munawar Faruqui did not choose to leave school. The choice was made for him by circumstances. Everything he has built since then has come from the work he started doing when he was still a child.
Also Read: Donkey Named After Chunky Panday Sells for Rs 72,000 at Chitrakoot Fair, Beats SRK and Big B
For more stories that trace the real journeys behind the fame, keep reading VvipTimes.
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