Mumbai: Just like film stars, television celebrities too enjoy massive popularity, and fans keep a close watch on every move, personal or professional. So, when a personal phone number linked to any actor or actress surfaces online, it instantly becomes a hot topic. And something similar happened this week with stand-up comedian and actor Munawar Faruqui.
Munawar has been in the limelight for years, but his popularity skyrocketed after Bigg Boss. He is currently grabbing attention because of a phone number allegedly belonging to him began circulating on social media.
Fans believed someone had accidentally leaked his private contact, and within minutes, the number went viral. People rushed to call and message, hoping for a personal reply from their favourite star.
However, before fans could celebrate getting access to his “real number,” the truth came out, this was not a leak at all.
It was actually a clever promotional stunt by Munawar in collaboration with Amazon MX Player to promote the new season of his series First Copy. Anyone who messaged the number didn’t get to chat with Munawar. Instead, they received a cheeky audio of him.
One viral clip shows a fan calling the number and saying excitedly, “Hi Munawar Bhai, I’m a big fan, I finally got your number.” A recorded voice pretending to be Munawar replied in his trademark playful tone, “Arrey, kya hai, number milte hi seedha call-message han?”
Meanwhile, speaking about First Copy, season 1 was released in June this year. Season 2 dropped on November 5 and is available to stream for free on MX Player and other platforms.
Set in the 1990s, the series follows Arif, who becomes Mumbai’s most wanted film pirate long before streaming platforms existed. From distributing illegal Bollywood film copies to becoming the go-to guy for “first copies,” Arif’s journey is packed with drama and thrills.
Directed by Farhan P. Zamma, the series stars Krystle D’Souza, Gulshan Grover, Saqib Ayub, Ashi Singh, Meiyang Chang, Inam Ul Haq, Raza Murad and Nawab Shah, alongside Munawar.
