Stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui, who was supposed to perform his show ‘From Dongri to Nowhere’ in Bengaluru on Sunday, November 28, shared an emotional note saying that his show had to be cancelled due to threats made to the venue. The Bengaluru police had written to the manager of the Good Shepherd Auditorium in the city, the venue of the show to be held on Sunday evening, to cancel the event citing the possibility of a law and order situation. Munawar is a Gujarat-based comedian, and many of his shows have similarly been cancelled since January 2021, after he was arrested by the Indore police based on a complaint by a BJP MLA’s son that the jokes that “he was going to crack” at a show would be offensive.
“I think this is The End. My name is Munawar Faruqui. And That's been my time, you guys were wonderful audience. A Good bye! Im done. (sic)” Munawar wrote in a three-slide post on Instagram.
Munawar shared that the show which was to be held on Sunday, November 28 had been planned a month ago, when his team reached out to the organisation run by late Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar, and this show was being held for charity, he said. He said as suggested by the organisation, they agreed not to label it a charity show. In his post, he shared how several organisers have cancelled his shows in the last two months, following his arrest in January 2021.
“(From) Putting me in jail for the joke I never did, to cancelling my shows which have nothing problematic in it. This is unfair. This show has gained so much love from people in India irrespective of their religion. This is unfair,” wrote Munawar.
Munawar added that they have secured a censor certificate for the show. “There’s clearly nothing problematic in the show!” Munawar said, adding that in the past two months, he has had to cancel 12 shows after similar threats were made to organisers and audiences where his shows were scheduled.
“Inki nafrat ka bahana ban gaya hoon. Hasa kar kitno ka sahara ban gaya hoon. Tootne pe inki Khwahish hogi puri Sahi kehte hai, mai Sitara ban gaya hoon (I have become an excuse for their hatred. By making people laugh, I have become a support for so many. Only when I break will their wish be fulfilled. What they say is right, I have become a star)” Munawar wrote.