Meet the Telangana farmers whose Kiki Challenge is winning the internet Srikanth and Anil run a popular YouTube channel that showcases life in an Indian village, the humorous way. news Human interest Ever since singer-rapper Drake’s ‘My Feelings’ dropped, the 'In My Feelings Challenge' or 'Kiki challenge' as it has come to be known, has taken over the internet. There have been several versions of the challenge, even involving animals like dogs and camels, but the recent viral one comes from a village in Telangana. Two farmers from Lambadipalli village did the Kiki challenge with a twist – Anil Geela and Pilli Tirupati danced next to a pair of bullocks in a field, while the bullocks dragged the plough. They danced in muddy slush, which, Anil told TNM, was not easy. “We could have easily slipped and fallen. So we planned it and attempted it a few times, before shooting that video in one take,” he said. Watch Anil and Pilli’s video here. Needless to say, the video has since gone viral, with people not only appreciating the uniqueness of their attempt, but also that they did in a safe manner. The Kiki challenge generally involves one to step out of a vehicle and dance while it’s recorded from inside the vehicle, which in many cases, is moving slowly. Indeed, local police in various cities and states including Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Mumbai, have warned people against doing the Kiki challenge as it goes against road safety. Planning the video While 24-year-old Anil is, originally from Dargapalli in Telangana's Siddipet district, Pilli is a 30-year-old local farmer who liked the idea of the challenge and agreed to do it. Anil worked for two years in Dargapalli as a teacher in a private school before moving to Lambadipalli. He started working with Srikanth, who started ‘My Village Show’, on whose Instagram and YouTube accounts their Kiki challenge video was posted. Anil said that it was Srikanth’s idea to do their own version of the viral challenge, with the village as a setting. “However, as we were planning it, we saw the police warnings and everyone started perceiving it as a dangerous stunt,” Anil recounts. “But we wanted to show people that it was something fun at the end of the day and need not be done in a dangerous way. So we considered 2-3 ways in which we could shoot it. We even thought that maybe children could do the dance as they hit a tyre with a stick, but we finally decided to do it in this manner,” he adds. Anil (L) and Pilli (R) When asked if he expected the video would become so popular, Anil says they had no idea. “We had some expectation that people may like it, but we never thought it would spread like wildfire. Lots of people have been posting it on their social media accounts and it makes me very happy. Many are praising farmers and appreciating their lifestyles as well.” Bringing the village into social media and pop culture A USP of Anil and Srikanth’s video was that it brought the Indian rural landscape into pop culture, which does not happen very often. And that’s what the duo hope to do with ‘My Village Show’ as well. From left: Pilli, Anil and Srikanth Started by Srikanth (28) in November 2012 to make and popularise educational content within the villages, it wasn’t until 2016 that his YouTube channel gained popularity. “In 2015, we changed the name to 'My Village Show' and decided to do videos with a touch of humour that highlighted village life in general,” Srikanth tells TNM. “Mostly, we looked at the culture and the potential interest in villages from urban areas. We saw a lot of scope and there was traction immediately. By 2017, it really took off.” If you go to the YouTube page of ‘My Village Show’, you’ll see a number of videos with trendy titles – reaction videos (elders reacting to animojis, burgers), skits with types of people (like types of workers), expectations vs reality videos, honest videos (like honest mother’s day) and so on. There are also videos which show village life like a series on village elections, festival celebrations etc. With almost five lakh subscribers on YouTube, it is easy to see why the channel is a hit- it has made life in the village accessible by infusing humour, skits, and social media friendly formats. This is, of course, a big source of joy for Srikanth who always wanted to make videos and slowly taught himself about the technicalities of audio, video and lighting. Their core team has only 10 members, with Srikanth and Anil heading it Ask him if his family is as proud and Srikanth sheepishly says, “My father is a social worker. So he feels disappointed that the funny videos reach more people as compared to educational ones.” While Srikanth had heard Drake’s songs and was aware of the challenge, he too did not their spin on the Kiki challenge to become so viral. “I’m very happy about it,” he says.<doc-sep>Geela Anil Kumar and Pilli Thirupathi's freestyle groove and swirl won the hearts. The internet, it appears, has finally crowned the winner of the dangerous Kiki challenge. No, it's not an actor, celebrity or any dancing legend. Two farmers from Telangana have claimed the victory with their safe and eco-friendly no-car performance. Comedian and TV show host Trevor Noah posted the video on Instagram and wrote "they just won the Keke challenge". Geela Anil Kumar, 24, and 28-year-old Pilli Thirupathi's freestyle groove and swirl while knee deep in mud, ploughing the field with a pair bullocks isn't something that you usually click on. But their simplicity, innocence and rustic charm clubbed with the peppy beats of rapper Drake's hit song "In My Feeling" attracted the netizens in hordes. The video has been viewed millions of times and the count is swelling by the minute. The video was conceptualised and uploaded by filmmaker Sriram Srikanth on his YouTube channel "My Village Show", which showcases "culture, development activities, festivals, fun things, awareness programmes, short films, political situations and everything" about his village Lambadipally in Karimnagar district of Telangana. The challenge intrigued him when he saw a message from the police advising against dancing alongside a moving car. His curiosity took him to numerous Kiki videos which he found quite risky. He hadn't heard of the artiste, but liked the song. So he decided to shoot a safe yet fun version. He discussed the idea with the duo from the village and they loved it. Soon they were practising, but when they shot it, the best moments came from their impromptu moves. Mr Kumar, who aspires to be an actor, enjoyed the whole experience. The internet loved their "awesome way of life". An Instagram user said, "this is everything. How do we beat this?" The newest trend on social media, which involves jumping out of a slow-moving car and dancing alongside, the Kiki challenge is also known as the In My Feelings challenge or "doing the Shiggy", thanks to comedian Shiggy who posted a video dancing to the song. Some videos of the challenge uploaded on the internet show oblivious dancers crashing into poles, tripping on potholes, getting hit and even falling out of cars, which prompted the agencies to issue warnings against it.<doc-sep>A farmer and a budding actor from Telangana who took up the 'Kiki dance challenge', grooving to Drake's smash hit as they plough a field with bullocks, have become a sensation with a video of the act going viral. Kiki is an internet challenge thrown by Canadian rapper Drake, which involves jumping out of a moving car and dancing alongside it to his hit 'In My Feelings'. The video, posted as 'Kiki Challenge Village farmers Style India' in 'My Village Show' channel in Youtube has garnered nearly 1.6 lakh views in just three days while the official Facebook page of the 'My Village Show' had over three million views and about 55,000 shares in just four days. READ ALSO: What Is Kiki Challenge And Why Has It Kept Police On Their Toes Anil Kumar is a budding actor, while his friend Pilli Tirupati is a farmer. The dance was shot in Tirupati's farmland on August1. "Director Srikanth (SriramSrikanthwho runs 'My Village Show' channel in youtube) came up with this idea and we shot the video and posted in youtube," Anil told PTI. Srikanth said he wanted to something better using the Kiki Challenge and hit upon this idea. Srikanth claimed that soon after posting the video online, his followers in Facebook and Instagram have been growing exponentially. The dance by the duo has drawn huge accolades from netizens. Among them was Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi, who posted this video in his official twitter page. "The only#kikichallengethat I approve of! Desi style and completely safe! Mera Bharat Mahaan!," he said. Hyderabad Traffic Police have warned that anyone indulging #kikichallenge on the roads would be booked under Section 268 of IPC (public nuisance) and Section 70 (b) of Hyderabad City Police Act. (PTI) For in-depth, objective and more importantly balanced journalism, Click here to subscribe to Outlook Magazine<doc-sep>Attention Hyderabadis! Do you plan to perform the highly adventurous #KikiChallenge anytime soon? Here’s why you shouldn’t. The viral challenge, based on Canadian rapper Drake’s song, In My Feelings, has crawled its way into social media and has gotten people jump out of moving cars to perform the signature moves of the artiste. Having gotten celebrities like Will Smith, dance to its tune, the challenge has now made its way into the country.Unfortunately, the Indian superstars have also been playing along with it.Actors like Adah Sharma and Regina Cassandra have spiced up the challenge with their desi moves. While Regina appears in her video wearing a half-saree, Adah Sharma is dressed up as an apsara. Nora Fatehi’s video features her stepping out of an auto-rickshaw to dance to the song. However, it’s Pranitha Subhash’s rendition that has gotten the Internet laughing out loud — her video ends on a hilarious note when the driver doesn’t wait for her to finish her moves. Regardless, the dancing prowess demonstrated in the #DesiKiki challenge has not impressed the city police at all.With videos from around the world showing people falling out of their cars, crashing into poles and getting hit by other vehicles, it is not surprising that police departments in the US, Spain, Malaysia and the UAE have warned people against the challenge. But the Kiki Challenge has gotten the police in India more worried than others. The reason is a no-brainer. People don’t follow traffic rules in the country anyway, say the police. Complementing that with a challenge that has gotten youngsters jump out of cars and dance on the roads is just another recipe for disaster.Restrain from the kiki challenge or get ready to count bars in jail: copsIn fact, the Hyderabad Police is the latest to join the list of police departments in the country that have warned the public against taking up the challenge. Interestingly, on their Twitter page, the city cops have requested people to take up the #GreenChallenge instead of the #KikiChallenge. “Jumping out of a moving car and dancing alongside it in the middle of the road endangers not only the life of the driver but also others. Further, such acts draw criminal charges,” read a notice titled ‘Restrain from KikiChallenge or count the bars’, released by the HyderabadTraffic Police on 31 July.It’s not just the Hyderabad Police that has banned the challenge — police departments in Delhi, Jaipur, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, and Uttar-Pradesh have also issues notices. A senior Delhi Police official says, “We have every reason to be worried. People break rules every day on the roads. What’s going to happen to road safety if people start taking up this challenge?”So, how does the Kiki Challenge get you into trouble, legally? The police are out to book anyone who’s performing the challenge under IPC Section 268 and Section 70 (b) of Hyderabad City Police Act for creating nuisance on the road and endangering life of other commuters. It doesn’t end there. The challenge can also get you booked under the Motor Vehicles Act for dangerous driving. Inspector KPV Raju, traffic admin, Hyderabad, says, “We have been monitoring all social media platforms to get hold of people who have been indulging in the challenge. As of now, we haven’t registered any cases in Hyderabad. But we’re watching.”The UP police have taken an interesting approach to handling this menace. Rather than asking youngsters to not take part in it, they have addressed parents in their tweet after spotting a Lucknow girl doing the challenge. “Dear parents, whether Kiki loves your child or not, we are sure you do! So please stand by your kids in all the challenges in life except #kikichallenge,” they tweeted.With inputs from<doc-sep>
TOI HYDERABAD: The ‘ kiki challenge ’ has generated more interest, thanks to a unique video done in a tiny village of Telangana . Instagram success Shiggy had first posted a dance video of Drake’s “In my feelings” song which went viral across the world. With people dancing beside a moving car, and that being dangerous, police in Hyderabad warned against doing such a thing.The ‘safety caution’ was what caught the attention of ‘three villagers’ if you might want to call them. They did a video of two of them dancing beside two bullocks which walked ploughing the field. While Anil Geela and Pilli Tirupati danced in gay abandon, Sriram Srikanth shot it. All this was done in Lambadipalli village of Kondagattu in Karimnagar district of Telangana.“We practiced a couple of times since we were dancing in the slush in the field. Doing it on the road would have been easy but we decided to be realistic. The bullocks were ploughing the field and we danced to the song,” Anil Geela told. Anil who is from Siddipet, is a teacher in a private school but he and his friends make Youtube videos about village life. Pilli Tirupati, who danced along with Anil is a farmer himself.Srikanth who hit upon the idea of such a video said if the entire world was hitched on to the kiki challenge, he wondered how villagers also could do the same.“We are a bunch of people who are fascinated with village life. What else do you have in the village but bullocks?,” Srikanth said. On August 1, they put up their video on Instagram and it became a hit.“Our video is being talked about everywhere and it feels good,” Anil Geela said. Srikanth said they have a ‘My village show’ on Youtube where village life is focussed. Their challenge to those who do the kiki challenge is that they stay safe and not put their lives to risk.