Orusasol Man – Arunachal’s Very Own ‘CANON’ Superhero Film

While the entire World is restrained to their humble abodes, including myself, you need some solace to get through these hard times. Although I’m not much of a social animal, neither I’m going to discuss it, films and music have become a great camaraderie of my daily life, which has been for a significant part of my life. I am exploring a lot of cinema apart from the usual Hollywood flicks, including cinema originating from the North-Eastern region of India as I also hail from the same region.

While doing so, I came across this film called Orunasol Man, and those who are familiar with north-east India, it is from the state of Arunachal Pradesh. I am a sucker for guilty pleasure films and love to explore them whenever I can. Even though Orunasol Man doesn’t likely fall into the same category of Cannon Films or Troma Studios, it has every bit element that I love about the low-budget films produced by these studios. The moment I started watching the film, I felt something strangely attractive about it.

Orunasol Man is based on the popular comic book strip of the same name, which is very popular in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. However, the look of the character in the film is completely different from its comic counterpart. The language of the film is in Hindi, which is not uncommon as a lot of films, including the very first film made in the state, are in Hindi. It might seem a little funny to most Hindi speaking folks due to the strong regional accent, but I find it more amusing as I’m used to this regional version of Hindi, and it has its innocent charm. I know friends and people who speak Hindi like that.

North-East has always been a victim of negligence by the government, and likewise, the north-eastern film industry could never flourish even to this day. Apart from Assamese cinema, which is also a very low scale industry as compared to other regional film industries in India, none of the north-eastern states could ever develop the indigenous film industry in their respective states. Obliviously, this film also lacks a budget, which also reflects the production aspect. Nevertheless, it is way better than other ultra-low-budget films produced in the region.

Orunasol Man deals with the increasing drug problem plaguing the state, while a hero rises to put an end to this atrocity and the evil people behind it. Of course, don’t expect a superhero film like DC or Marvel for obvious reasons, but the film deserves an ‘A’ for effort considering the minuscule budget, lack of proper resources, and limited filmmaking expertise. The story has its flaws. Things might even look hilarious at times, for instance, the costume of our superhero is wearing a jacket in reverse, and putting on a COVID 19 mask. Although I would have loved if they could have made the look inspired by the source material since the comic book version is a more authentic reflection to Arunachali culture.

Jai Nilo stars as the lead in the film, and even though he is not a bad actor, he seems a little stiff during the fight scenes as compared to the other fighters, surprisingly there were a few good ones. The film has decent action scenes with impressive martial arts choreography, nicely shot as well. The film also stars one of Arunachal’s female singing stars Boby Techi, as the female lead who also lends her voice to an original song. The film also stars Solomon Sangchoju, Basonie Wesi Sangno, Ligang Sallu, and Taba Reema in other roles.

The crew comprises of people from different parts of India such as Assam, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Ladakh, which makes it pretty interesting. The most impressive part of the film is its cinematography by Ihjaz Aziz. While it may not be extraordinary in terms of cinematic excellence, still his work is worth mentioning. The film's music is composed by KFor Kekho, which is another high point in the film. Finally, writer-director and producer Nyago Ete, who brought every piece together to make this little film deserves a lot of praise for his effort.

Orunasol Man is not a film for everyone, especially if you are looking for something cinematic, but it is worth a watch for whom who seeks pleasure in watching obscure films with a lot of heart and commitment. To me, making a film in the north-east itself is praiseworthy, so if you have a similar taste and respect for aspiring filmmakers, give it a try.

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