On Sunday (February 27), Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised popular TikTok users, Kili Paul and Neema Paul, for singing the Indian national anthem on Republic Day and paying tribute to veteran singer Lata Mangeshkar after her demise. He made the remarks about the Tanzanian siblings during the 86th edition of his ‘Mann ki Baat‘ programme.
PM Modi said, “These days, two Tanzanian siblings, Kili Paul and his sister Neema, are in the news a lot on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and I’m sure you too, must have heard about them. They have a passion, a craze for Indian music and for this reason they are also very popular.”
“Their technique of Lip Sync shows how hard they work at it. Recently, a video of him singing our National Anthem ‘Jana Gana Mana’ on the occasion of Republic Day went viral. A few days ago, he also paid a soulful tribute to Lata didi by presenting her song. I really appreciate these two siblings Kili and Neema very much for their wonderful creativity,” he added.
Recently, Kili Paul was honoured by the Indian High Commissioner in Tanzania. The Tanzanian artist shared a picture of the event and said, “It’s a pleasure meeting u sir and thanks to everyone there for being nice with me…I love you, my Indian supporters. Without you, I wouldn’t be here. More to come. JAI HIND.”
Tanzanian siblings sang Indian national anthem, paid tribute to Lata Mangeshkar
On the occasion of India’s 72nd Republic Day celebrations (January 26, 2022), Kili Paul and his sister were seen lipsyncing to a soothing redemption of the Indian national anthem (Jana Gana Maa). With their hands on their heart, the duo was seen repeating the lyrics of Tagore’s iconic song.
Following the demise of legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, the Tanzanian siblings paid tribute to her by lipsyncing on the song, ‘Jana Kya Baat hai.’ They posted, “R.I.P to Lata Mangeshkar her voice was so soothing and so amazing she will always remain in our hearts, sleep well LATA.”
Who are Kili and Neema Paul?
The brother-sister duo hail from the Eastern Pwani region of Tanzania. Kili is 26 while Neema Paul is 23 years old. Dressed in accordance with their traditional Maasai culture, the duo herd cattle and farm for a living.
The siblings came to the limelight after several videos posted by the duo went viral on TikTok and Instagram reels. They have perfected the art of lip-syncing to Hindi songs from the Bollywood film fraternity.
While speaking to BBC Africa, the duo informed that there is no electricity in their village. As such, Kili Paul has to travel to the nearest town of Lugoba each day to charge his cell phone.
“In the beginning, it was just about having fun, we never thought we would go viral. So when I started seeing the number of views and the responses from people in India, I was so shocked. My mind was blown,” informed Kili Paul. He stated that he would spend about 2 days to learn and practise the lyrics of a Hindi song. He added that he would find the meaning of the lyrics in English so as to be able to provide the perfect expressions.
The popular TikToker informed that he developed a love for Bollywood films while attending school in the Tanzanian capital city of Dodoma. Paul emphasised, “Since I was young, I have been watching Bollywood films in the local cinemas in Tanzania and I fell in love with the movies and the songs. When you love something it becomes easy to learn.”
Neema joined her brother Kili Paul, only after getting comfortable to the camera. “When my brother asked me to do the videos with him, I refused at first because I was too shy to be in front of the camera. But then I started to get used to it. It is so strange what has happened – we never thought a day like this would come,” she said.
The 23-year-old pointed out, “We come from a small village outside of the city, so I never thought my dreams to be an actress and to be in front of the camera would ever happen. I just kept that in my heart.”
BBC Africa reported that the duo has started receiving offers from Bollywood. They are hoping to use their creativity and newfound fame to make it into the entertainment industry. Kili Paul and his sister also hope to travel to India someday. The recognition from Indian High Commissioner in Tanzania, followed by Indian Prime Minister is likely to make a positive impact in their career trajectories.
