Gulliver's Travels

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Lore & Background

In Lilliput, he encounters tiny people engaged in petty political disputes; in Brobdingnag, he is a small man among giants who criticise European customs; in Laputa, he meets impractical intellectuals disconnected from reality; and in the land of the Houyhnhnms, he finds rational horses living peacefully alongside savage human-like creatures called Yahoos. Through these journeys, the novel satirises the flaws of various civilisations. It is uncertain when Swift began writing the novel, but it is considered to have been an attempt at satirising popular literary genres. The novel also has numerous made-up words, referred to as Liliputian language, which critics say might have been inspired by Hebrew. On its publication, the book was an immediate success, and Swift claimed that he had written Gulliver's Travels 'to vex the world rather than divert it'.

Reader's Guide

Gulliver's Travels remains popular in modern times due to its insightful social commentary and political themes. Although the novel is popularly regarded as children's literature, Swift wrote it as a political satire. The book's satire, particularly its elaborate critique of human nature, societal flaws and norms, and personal relations, continues to be studied in literary circles. Since his death, Swift has emerged as the most widely read and translated Irish author, and Gulliver's Travels has retained its position as the most printed book by an Irish writer in libraries, bookstores, and reading cafes worldwide. Initial public opinions were overwhelmingly positive, with most readers lauding the clever satire, realistic depictions of travel to distant lands, and the political dangers that travelers often face as visitors. However, some critics accused Swift of excessive misanthropy.

Did You Know?

• The novel popularised the fictional island of Lilliput.
• Swift claimed he wrote Gulliver's Travels 'to vex the world rather than divert it'.
• The novel has numerous made-up words referred to as Liliputian language, which critics say might have been inspired by Hebrew.
• The poet John Gay remarked, 'It is universally read, from the cabinet council to the nursery.'

The Name Borrowed from Swift's Islands

M. M. Faruqui is the man behind the screen name Lilliput, a choice that immediately signals a literary sensibility. The name draws directly from Jonathan Swift's classic satire Gulliver's Travels, in which the titular protagonist washes ashore an island populated by tiny inhabitants. In that world, Lilliput and its rival nation Blefuscu are two small island states locked in petty rivalries, and it is among these diminutive people that Gulliver first finds himself. Faruqui clearly found something resonant in that image of a giant among small folk, or perhaps in the absurdity and political satire of those tiny nations, and decided it would make a memorable stage identity. The result is a name that sets him apart in the crowded landscape of Indian entertainment, instantly evoking a story of scale, displacement, and wonder. For an actor and writer who has moved fluidly between television and cinema, the name carries a playful, slightly otherworldly quality that fits a career built on range and reinvention.

The Writer's Craft

Beyond his face on screen, Lilliput has built a parallel reputation as a writer whose work has left a mark on Indian television and cinema. He is credited with writing Doordarshan's Indradhanush, a science fiction series that became a beloved fixture of Indian television. The show's imaginative storytelling and its place in the national broadcaster's lineup cemented his name among viewers who associated him with inventive, genre-driven writing. In the film world, he penned the dialogues for Chamatkar (1992), a movie that earned critical praise, demonstrating his ability to craft sharp, memorable lines for the silver screen. He is also known for his work on the TV series Vikram Vetaal, further showcasing his comfort with mythological and fantastical narratives. These writing credits reveal a storyteller who gravitates toward the extraordinary, whether through the lens of science fiction, myth, or supernatural drama, and who understands that the right words can elevate a production far beyond its visual elements.

A Career That Refuses to Sit Still

Lilliput's acting résumé reads like a map of Indian popular culture across four decades. His early film work includes Saagar (1985) and the comedy Bunty Aur Babli (2005), showing he was active and visible well before the streaming era reshaped the industry. The 1990s saw him become a familiar face in television comedy, with roles in sitcoms such as Dekh Bhai Dekh, Natkht, and Mr. Funtoos, all of which defined a generation's after-school viewing. In 1998 he took on the lead in the film Woh, playing a character simply named Woh, a role that put his name front and center. More recently, he joined the cast of the hit series Mirzapur starting from its second season, playing Dadda Tyagi, a role that introduced him to a new wave of audiences. His most recent expansion into Tamil cinema came with a role in Vijay-starrer Beast, marking his debut in that industry and underscoring his willingness to cross linguistic and regional boundaries.

The Many Faces of Lilliput

What unites Lilliput's diverse body of work is a refusal to be typecast or confined to a single medium. He has written for television, written dialogues for film, acted in Bollywood features, starred in sitcoms, and taken on roles in prestige drama series. His career spans from the mid-1980s through the present day, touching Hindi cinema, Tamil cinema, national television, and digital streaming. He is equally at home in the fantastical world of Indradhanush, the mythological terrain of Vikram Vetaal, the gritty underworld of Mirzapur, and the lighthearted chaos of a 90s sitcom. This breadth is rare in an industry that often rewards specialization, and it speaks to an artist who treats each project as a fresh opportunity rather than a stepping stone. Whether he is lending his voice to a writer's credit or his face to a character on screen, Lilliput has consistently demonstrated that versatility is its own kind of art, and that a career built on variety can be as compelling as one built on repetition.