From a lock-up to Lock Upp, stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui has had an eventful year. Yet somehow, in the face of all the hate-mongering, he has managed to hold on to comedy, with a smile always playing on his lips, and some shayari thrown in for good measure. “I didn’t set out to prove my haters wrong. Those who misunderstood me, weren’t aware of the entire context because that’s how the Internet works; you see something, you don’t dig deeper. But once you get to know me, you can’t hate me,” he chuckles.

In January last year, the comedian was arrested based on a complaint that he was going to make objectionable remarks about Hindu deities at a show. Since his release, he has also battled several cancelled shows, after threats by right-wing groups. Earlier this year, he fought it out on a reality TV show to emerge as the winner. And today and tomorrow, Faruqui is set to take the stage across different locations in Mumbai to do what he loves the most — crack jokes in person.