They say laughter is the best medicine and a spice of life, one Verulam resident has taken this to heart, leaving her viewers and followers splitting laughter. In recent months Natalie Prithilal, as she is better known on TikTok as EntertainmentSquare2, has been sharing her brand of comedy on the platform and finding success along the way. Amid a growing number of followers and a rise in fame, the Tongaat and Verulam Tabloid invited the viral sensation for an interview to find out more about her.
Tongaat and Verulam Tabloid (TVT): For those who do not know who you are, could you introduce yourself to us?
Natalie Prithilal (NP): My name is Natalie Prithilal, I was born and raised in Verulam, and I have two sisters. My dad passed away when I was nine years old, the man was a legend I wish I had more time with him. My mum worked in a factory and raised us, appreciate your parents, take care of them and you will live a blessed life.
TVT: Tell us a bit more about your childhood and where you went to school?
NP: I attended Acacia Primary School where I took the Sports Girl awards in Grade 7 and I matriculated from Trenance Park Secondary School in 2012. I was the first drummer at Bayete Worship Centre and I started drumming there on the first Sunday that the church opened. I am a self-taught musician and I went on to learn the guitar and bass guitar. People think that I cannot play music because I use it for comedy and I’m a bad singer I know, but I play the drums well.
TVT: You have become a TikTok influencer of note, can you tell us what inspired you to make the videos?
NP: My parents had three girls and no boys, I remember being six years old and one aunty said “hey, you look just like a boy”, I thought that the aunty was trying to confuse me. A few months ago, that same aunty saw me in Verulam and said the same thing so I went back home and was like what if I told everyone that I was married. So I developed this character and acted it out, the video went viral so that aunty unknowingly motivated me to invent this character that I play.
TVT: Who or what are the inspirations behind your videos?
NP: Growing up I used to hang around a lot of elderly people and there was this couple who used to have the cutest fights, one minute they were in love and the next they would be fighting, so I add these bitter-sweet moments in my videos because relationships are not perfect. I love taking words and creating new amusing phrases, that is one of the things that make my videos original. With the words, “I’ll give you five tight slaps and two Allergex”, I wrote the song ‘Dala What You Must’, which was inspired by all the negative commenters.
TVT: In a world where freedom of speech means you can get persecuted for what you say, how do you find the courage to make everyday topics relatable and fun?
NP: No matter what you say some people will always have a problem with you, not everyone, most people enjoy my videos but some people are not as open-minded. Say what you need to say because when you bottle things up inside of you, you are going to build up anger, I know this because I felt like this as a child, when you speak you feel lighter. When you speak up for yourself, people will start distancing themselves from you, not because you said something wrong because they cannot take advantage of you. I enjoy taking something serious that I see on the news and turning it into comedy for example “Goat attacks dog and school children”, that was not an ordinary goat that was a parah goat. I take these things that I see and place myself in that person’s body, and say hey if I was in this person’s position what would I have done?
TVT: What kind of feedback have you got in response to people seeing your videos?
NP: A lot of positive comments, people laugh and tell me that I made their day. Some say that they had a bad day and then watched my video and laughed forgetting what they were angry about.
TVT: Are there any organisations, charities, or causes that are close to your heart? And will you use your comedy to help these causes?
NP: Generation of radicals. Kevin Chetty is doing excellent work in our communities, he is fighting so hard against hunger, he feeds huge amounts of people and he is for the people. His heart is for people and in the future if there is any organisation that I would want to be a part of it’s Generation of Radicals.
TVT: Have you been approached by the community to MC or host any events?
NP: I have been approached by a few people to MC but I get a bit scared at times because I have never done it before. I’m a very shy person but in the future, I would love to MC and host comedy shows.
TVT: On a lighter note, what are some of your favourite foods, musical artists, and comedy shows, who is your favourite comedian?
NP: I love Mr Bones, Leon is a cracker. He is on another level. Tyla Water and Kelly Clarkson are my favourite singers. I like eating chicken curry and roti, pizza, and seafood boil. Someone in Verulam better open up a seafood boil restaurant here, we are tired of roasted chicken. I love the Trevor Noah Show that guy left South Africa to go to overseas to make fun of our politicians.
TVT: Who is your inspiration or role model?
NP: There are these three little people in my life named Emily, Isabella, and Josiah who inspire me to make my videos, as soon as they come from school they want me to make videos so that they can laugh. I know the content is good when I see them laugh. They are my sound effects guys in the background, my small guy Josiah sits behind me while I’m making my videos and the guy loves my stories. He sometimes falls on the floor laughing. His sisters Emily and Bella are the same. They sometimes sit and just start laughing and when I ask these two girls what happened, they remind me of what I said a few days ago. They are my motivation.
TVT: What message do you have for the youth and those who wish to pursue the world of comedy and becoming an influencer?
NP: When I first started on TikTok I used to get only 200 views, so I started doing different things until one of my videos blew up and that is when I knew that this is what I was supposed to do. Do not give up keep trying new things make sure your videos are clear, post three to five times a day, and keep it humble always. Remember people are going through hardship and they want to see something that helps them escape the pain even if it’s just for a moment. Be original, be yourself and do not ever take those negative comments to heart, just brush it off because hey one day everyone is going to die no one is going to remember you or the things you have done. You have one life, do whatever makes you happy before that life is over. Do not ever let the words of other people demotivate you, you are special believe in yourself even when no one wants to believe in you. You can become anything you want to become in this world. just do not become a parah goat and do not eat frog eggs. You are looking daaaalicious just daaaalicious today.
