Viral ‘sad superhero’ creator draws attention at film fest

Thiruvananthapuram: The International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) is not only a medium for film viewing experiences but also a space to meet many who have numerous ‘stories’ to tell.
The creator of the ‘sad superheroes in Kerala’, which recently went viral in cyberspace, is attracting a lot of attention at the festival venue. The Instagram post by 34-year-old Arun R aka Arun Nura has sparked a different set of conversations in the virtual space.
As the title suggests, the post is a series of seven pictures depicting superheroes from the DC and Marvel universes leading a normal life in Kerala, facing everyday troubles.
While Batman is in the avatar of a forlorn farmer in Palakkad, the friendly neighbourhood Spiderman has apparently been caught by the locals and punished for trying to steal coconuts in Kollam.
“This is the result of experimenting with artificial intelligence-generated art using a tool called Midjourney, which renders pictures as per text descriptions given. My goal is to explore the possibilities of integrating technology into art and to create immersive art viewing experiences,” said Arun.
The Kollam native, who is a film programmer and animator by profession, did not expect the responses he received, let alone a comment from Shashi Tharoor MP. “Somebody shared the post on Twitter, under which he commented, asking about the context. Many have tried to guess and attach meanings to the series. It is onl”y a work of art, something to be enjoyed,” he said.