Plot

Tamar, a native of Sangi-Gai village, finds an exotic chest while searching for his lost brother Tamey, which expatriates him to the land of strangers in the obscured future, disrupting his current time of the year 1914.

Sangi-gai: A Journey Across Time is a sci-fi adventure film that explores the culture shock and environmental issues of a tribal man who travels from 1914 to 2023. The film begins with a team of Chinese soldiers invading the tribal lands of Arunachal Pradesh, India, in 1905, in search of a mysterious Tibetan chest. They are ambushed and killed by the villagers of Sangi-gai, except for one soldier who manages to escape with the chest. He opens the chest and touches a golden orb inside it, which transports him to an unknown location.

Nine years later, in 1914, a young tribesman named Tamar (Tarh Tama) finds the chest in the woods while looking for his missing brother. He also touches the orb and gets sucked into a portal. He wakes up in a futuristic world of 2023, where he is bewildered and terrified by the strange sights and sounds of modern civilization. He is chased by some kids who mock his appearance and clothes, and runs into a busy street, where he is almost hit by a car. He is rescued by Tugung (Tai Tugung), a Hindi professor who happens to speak Tamar's Nyishi dialect. Tugung takes Tamar to his apartment and tries to explain to him where he is and what has happened. He also contacts the police, but they are not interested in Tamar's case, as there is no missing person report or any evidence of his origin.

Tugung decides to seek help from his ex-girlfriend, Riter (Kendy Zirdo), a social worker who is passionate about preserving the tribal culture and environment. Riter is initially reluctant to see Tugung, as they had a bitter breakup over their different views on development and conservation. However, when she hears about Tamar and his village, Sangi-gai, she is intrigued, as she has been researching the legend of the Tibetan chest and the missing Chinese soldier. She agrees to help Tugung find a way to send Tamar back to his time and place.

The trio embark on a journey to locate the chest and the orb, which have been moved to different locations over the years. Along the way, they encounter various obstacles and dangers, such as a greedy antique dealer who wants to sell the chest, a ruthless gangster who wants to use the orb as a weapon, and a corrupt politician who wants to destroy the tribal lands for his own benefit. They also experience some humorous and touching moments, as Tamar learns about the wonders and woes of the modern world, and Tugung and Riter rekindle their romance.

The film climaxes with a showdown at a construction site, where the politician plans to detonate a bomb that will trigger a massive landslide and wipe out the tribal villages. Tamar, Tugung, and Riter manage to stop the bomb and retrieve the chest and the orb, but they are surrounded by the gangster and his men. Tamar decides to sacrifice himself and use the orb to create a portal that will suck in the gangster and his men, and also send him back to his own time. He bids farewell to Tugung and Riter, and thanks them for their friendship and kindness. He then touches the orb and disappears, along with the chest and the gangster's men.

The film ends with Tugung and Riter returning to the tribal lands, where they are welcomed by the villagers of Sangi-gai. They are surprised and overjoyed to see Tamar alive and well, reunited with his brother and his people. They also discover that the chest and the orb have returned to their original place, and that the portal has closed. Tamar tells them that he arrived back in 1914, just before the Chinese soldiers attacked, and that he was able to warn his village and prepare them for the battle. He also tells them that he has learned a lot from his journey across time, and that he hopes to preserve his culture and environment, while also embracing the positive aspects of the modern world. He invites Tugung and Riter to stay with him and his people, and they happily accept. The film ends with a shot of the chest and the orb, glowing in the sun, as a symbol of hope and harmony.