Last Updated:November 19, 2025, 14:48 IST

Munawar Faruqui clarified that his “leaked” phone number was actually a marketing strategy for his show First Copy, revealing he received over 20k+ calls and 11k+ messages.

Munawar Faruqui was most recently see in First Copy Season 2. (Photo Credits: Instagram)

Stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui recently hit headlines after his phone number got leaked. The stand-up comedian received calls and messages from all over India, with many left concerned about his privacy. Now, Munawar Faruqui has taken to his Instagram to finally react to the whole number-leak fiasco.

On Wednesday, Munawar took to his Instagram Stories and explained that his number didn’t get leaked but that it was a marketing strategy for his Amazon MX Player show First Copy. Talking about the same, Munawar said, “Hi doston, mereko bohot messages aa rahe hain ki aapka number leak ho gaya hai. To in reality aisa hai ki MX Player ki marketing genius team ne plan kiya tha ki kahin number leak karenge, toh phir calls aayenge aur usme sabko First Copy ka promotion jayega. 20k+ calls and 11k+ messages aaye hain, aur us number ka WhatsApp bhi block kar diya hai Meta ne. Toh thank you so much itna pyaar dene ke liye, aur number leak nahi hua hai, but thank you itna concern hone ke liye.” (Hi friends, I’m getting a lot of messages saying that my number has been leaked. So, in reality, what happened is that the marketing genius team of MX Player planned to “leak” a number so that calls would come in, and through those calls, everyone would receive promotions for First Copy. I’ve received 20k+ calls and 11k+ messages, and Meta has even blocked the WhatsApp linked to that number. So, thank you so much for giving so much love, and no, the number wasn’t actually leaked — but thank you for being so concerned.)

About First Copy Season 2

As per the official synopsis, the series is: “Set in Mumbai during the bustling 1990s, First Copy follows the gripping story of Arif, a daring and charismatic man who becomes the most wanted film pirate in the city. In a time before digital streaming and anti-piracy laws were strong, Arif finds a profitable loophole: distributing illegal copies of Bollywood films. With passion, cleverness, and street-smart instincts, he builds a vast underground network, becoming the go-to name for first-day film copies, hence earning the nickname First Copy.”

Directed by Farhan P. Zamma, First Copy Season 2 also stars Krystle D’Souza, Gulshan Grover, Saqib Ayub, Ashi Singh, Meiyang Chang, Inam Ul Haq, Raza Murad, and Nawab Shah.