Legendary Comic Oki & Nirmala Being Adapted into a Live Action Series, Tissa Biani Chosen as the Main Cast

Kapanlagi.com - For Bobo magazine readers, they must be familiar with the illustrated story titled Oki & Nirmala. The mischievous dwarf's friendship with the kind-hearted fairy has been popular from generation to generation.

Forty-eight years have passed since the first appearance of the characters Oki and Nirmala in the inaugural edition of Bobo in April 1973. Now, production house Paragon Pictures collaborates with Ideosource Entertainment to present it in the form of a live-action series.

1. Tissa Biani Portrays Nirmala

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Young actress Tissa Biani was chosen to play Nirmala, the kind-hearted fairy. Tissa's selection was done without a casting process and only took less than five minutes. What is the reason?

"Tissa's selection was very short. Surprisingly less than five minutes. So when we talked about who would play Nirmala, Tissa Biani's name came up because we had worked together in BUMI ITU BULAT," said Robert Ronny, the producer from Paragon Pictures in a virtual conference via Zoom, on Thursday (27/1/2022).

"I have known Tissa for a long time and I am impressed with her work ethic. No need for casting, no need for anything, just offer it to her. Once she wears the costume, I imagine Nirmala exists in the real world. It's like Tissa was born to be Nirmala," added the Surabaya-born filmmaker.

2. Casting Online to Find the Actor for Oki

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If Tissa Biani is chosen for the role of Nirmala, the actor for Oki will be selected through an online casting process. This is intentional to find new talents in an effort of regeneration.

"For the main character, it has to be a big name, I understand that to sell a work. But I encourage new actors for other roles. Because actor regeneration in Indonesia is very slow. So we have an open casting for Oki. Don't be discouraged if you are not chosen as Oki, there is still a chance to become Oki's friends," explained Ronny, the man who is familiarly called Ronny.

3. Reasons for Being Made into a Series

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Paragon Pictures and Ideosource Entertainment were previously known for making feature films. So, what is the reason for adapting the comic strip Oki & Nirmala into a series?

"Now I feel that children's content is in urgent need, especially from Indonesia. It would be good if it became a film, but because of that concern, a series is most suitable at the moment. Why is it suitable for a series format? Because the comic strip used to be present every week. I hope this series can last a long time on any platform in the future," explained Ronny.

4. Possibility of a Feature Film

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If this serial version receives a satisfying response, Robert Ronny does not rule out the possibility of making a feature film version. This can be done because the Oki & Nirmala story has a lot of material and characters.

"If it is well-received by the public, there is a possibility of a feature film as well. Because this comic strip has a long history with many stories," Ronny concluded.

(kpl/abs/rsp)