- Munawar Faruqui left school at age 11 due to parental loss and financial distress
- He began working at age 9 and has worked 12–14 hours daily since then
- Faruqui's father, a driver, did not want him to learn driving to avoid the same fate
Stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui, who later won Bigg Boss 17 and Lock Upp Season 1, opened up about his difficult childhood in a recent chat. Parental loss, coupled with extreme financial distress, made him leave school at the age of 11. On his first day in Mumbai, the comedian washed utensils for Rs 60.
Munawar was left with no choice but to support his family at a young age. However, his father did not want him to become a driver like him.
During a heartfelt chat with Yuvaa, he looked back at the hard days: “I started working at the age of 9 and left school at 11. I have been working constantly for 12–14 hours a day since then. I understood one thing: it is a man's responsibility to provide, and it is not an easy responsibility. My dad used to refuse to let me drive the car. Whenever I used to go out with a friend, he always used to ask if I was driving. When I told him that I did not know how to drive but that I would learn, he refused. When I grew up, I realised that he was a driver for 30–35 years of his life. So, he was scared that if I learned how to drive, I would become a driver, and he did not want me to drive.”
Recalling his disturbed childhood, the stand-up comedian said he saw domestic violence in public.
“Everyone's childhood was ruined around me. I would call myself a lucky person because I saw bad people getting ruined in front of me. Alcohol was manufactured behind my house; there was just a wall in between. A man was running it, and domestic violence and fights used to happen at his house all the time. I was scared of him as a child,” he said.
“I saw so much suffering due to alcohol in front of my eyes while growing up that I knew alcohol is a bad thing. I am so blessed that I never touched drugs or alcohol. I have literally not touched anything. I take care of myself properly. Religion is one thing, but at the same time, it was God's plan to show me the reality of intoxication,” he added.
On the professional front, Munawar Faruqui will soon begin touring with his new stand-up show Dhandho in April.