MUMBAI: When cinema meets circuit boards, sparks fly. Humans in the Loop, a feature tracing the life of Nehma, an Oraon Adivasi woman employed as an AI data-labeller in Jharkhand has found two heavyweight backers in filmmakers Kiran Rao and Biju Toppo, who have boarded as executive producers.
The film, fresh off its FIPRESCI India win (shared with All We Imagine as Light), is fast becoming one of the most globally resonant indie titles to emerge from India. For Rao, whose Laapataa Ladies carried India’s flag at the 2024 Oscars, this marks her third indie collaboration after Ship of Theseus and Stolen. “I loved Humans in the Loop from the very first viewing. It is deeply moving and thought-provoking… Supporting this project felt both urgent and necessary,” she said.
Toppo, a pioneer of Adivasi cinema, brings decades of storytelling rooted in indigenous resilience. “For too long, Adivasi perspectives have remained invisible, not just in history, but even in how we imagine the future. Humans in the Loop boldly expresses our perspective,” he noted.
Directed by Aranya Sahay and produced by Mathivanan Rajendran, Sarabhi Ravichandran, Shilpa Kumar and Sahay under Storiculture’s Impact Fellowship and Sauv Films, the project has been years in the making. It weaves a sharp narrative on how “smart” technologies often depend on invisible human labour while sidelining indigenous knowledge systems.
Independent filmmaking, Sahay admits, “is like walking a tightrope.” But with Rao and Toppo’s support and after a year of micro-community screenings, the film is ready for its theatrical leap. It will debut on 5 September 2025 at Cinépolis Andheri, Mumbai, before expanding to Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, and Bengaluru from 12 September. An alternative distribution model, backed by the Museum of Imagined Futures, will also drive screenings across smaller cities through a cinema of the people initiative.
By combining a robust festival run with grassroots screenings, Humans in the Loop aims to spark urgent public debate on labour, technology and the future we are building placing the voices of India’s most marginalised at the heart of the global AI conversation.