Munawar Faruqui On Why He Is Done With Reality Shows After ‘Bigg Boss’ and ‘The Traitors’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Munawar Faruqui’s journey from stand-up comic to rapper, actor and two-time reality show winner is the stuff dreams are made of. He made his reality TV debut with “Lock Upp” in 2022 and went on to win the show. His poetry, spontaneous humor and ability to navigate the reality shows space made him a standout contestant on “Bigg Boss 17” and “Lock Upp.”  In 2026, he took on a different challenge with “The Traitors” Season 2, which had an entirely different format. 

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The “First Copy” actor reflects on why he became a sought-after name in the reality TV space and acknowledges the role these shows have played in his career. Speaking to Variety India, he says, “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. People began to like me, and that feeling was new. I feel viewers understood my personality. After that, I did ‘Bigg Boss,’ which I feel is India’s biggest reality show.” However, Faruqui maintains that he is done with reality television for now. “I have won, I am happy. I am a writer, I will make my own videos,” he says.

Reaffirming his belief in his own talent, Faruqui reveals that he chose to participate in “The Traitors” because he was drawn to the show’s scale and shorter format. “I really liked Season 1 of ‘The Traitors,’ but could not take it up due to prior date commitments. This show is very grand and the game is fun. This time, everything fell into place and I wanted to be on it. For me, ‘The Traitors’ meant 10 days of no stress,” he says.

Reflecting on his exit from the show, Faruqui says he would often hear contestants discussing how he was running the game. “They planned against me behind my back. It is against the format of the show, as the idea is to find the traitor. They did not understand that this is not ‘Bigg Boss’ and showed their insecurities,” he concludes.