Lock Upp Winner: Munawar Faruqui has won the first season of Kangana Ranaut hosted captive reality series. Payal Rohatgi and Anjali Arora were announced as the first and second runner-up, respectively.
After fighting for basic necessities for 70 days, Munawar Faruqui has been annouced as the winner of Lock Upp. The Kangana Rannuat show also had Payal Rohtagi, Anjali Arora, Azma Fallah and Shivam Sharma as finalists. Along with the trophy, Munawar also took home Rs 25 Lakh cash prize and a brand new car.
Munawar entered the show on the heels of his controversy. He had spent a month in jail last year for allegedly “insulting Hindu gods and goddesses” during one of his shows. After he was released on bail, many of his shows were cancelled. In a statement, the comedian had later said, that he was put in jail for a joke he had never made. He also hinted that he was done with comedy. “Nafrat jeet gayi, artist haar gaya (hate has won, artist has lost). I’m done, goodbye. Injustice,” he had written.
In an interview, he answered,Firstly, I don’t think there’s anything wrong in being controversial. It only means that people did not hear your side of the story, or maybe you were taken out of context. I never wanted to be a part of controversies. I never went and told the media my statement to cause some bawaal (commotion). The part of my video that had hurt people, I removed it immediately. It was the public that played it around for a year and made it news. I never wanted to be controversial, they made me one.
Known as the mastermind of Lock Upp, Munawar Faruqui was hailed for being smart and playing the game. His friendship with Anjali Arora was also lauded by fans, who even nicknamed them as ‘Munjali’. Celebrity designer Saisha Shinde also expressed her love for him on the show. However, Munawar confessed of being in love with someone outside the show. The comedian also opened up about his past, be it his divorce, his mother’s suicide or him being sexually assaulted as a child. His journey, and rise from poverty also struck a chord with the audience, who trended ‘Bad**s Dongriwala’ and ‘Munawar For The Win’ for him.
While Munawar took home the title, Payal Rohatgi and Anjali Arora were announced as the first and second runner up, respectively