In an era where cinema often treats artificial intelligence as either spectacle or threat, Humans in the Loop arrives as a deeply reflective, grounded, and socially urgent film. Written and directed by Aranya Sahay, this Indian independent drama does something rare: it shifts the conversation about AI away from futuristic labs and glossy tech campuses and places it firmly in the lived realities of indigenous women, invisible labour, and ethical contradictions.
At Movie Ka Ticket, films like this remind us why cinema still matters as a medium for social inquiry, and Humans in the Loop stands tall as one of the most thought-provoking Indian films in recent years.
A Story Rooted in Reality, Not Speculation
The film follows Nehma (a powerful, restrained performance by Sonal Madhushankar), an Adivasi woman from the Oraon tribe in Jharkhand. After her live-in relationship collapses, Nehma returns to her ancestral village with her daughter Dhaanu and infant son Guntu. Survival pushes her into a modern yet deeply exploitative workplace: a local data-labeling centre where workers tag images and videos to “teach” artificial intelligence systems for global clients.
What unfolds is not a conventional narrative arc, but a slow, immersive observation of how technology collides with tradition. Nehma begins to notice something unsettling—the rigid classifications demanded by AI do not align with the nuanced, ecological intelligence of her community. The machine demands binaries; her world thrives on continuums.
This contrast becomes the emotional and philosophical spine of the film.
AI Seen Through the Eyes of the Marginalised
Inspired by journalist Karishma Mehrotra’s 2022 article “Human Touch”, the film explores AI bias not as an abstract ethical debate, but as a lived experience. Humans in the Loop exposes how artificial intelligence inherits the blind spots of those who design, train, and profit from it—while the actual “teachers” of AI, often women from marginalised communities, remain unseen and uncredited.
The film is clear in its message: intelligence, whether artificial or human, carries the imprint of its educators. When those educators are erased, misunderstood, or undervalued, the intelligence produced mirrors that absence.
This idea lingers long after the film ends.
The Mother–Daughter Dynamic: Emotional Core of the Film
Running parallel to Nehma’s journey is the story of her daughter Dhaanu (Ridhima Singh), who struggles to adapt to village life after experiencing the city. Dhaanu’s restlessness, her longing for urban familiarity, and her failed attempt to escape the village bring a deeply personal dimension to the film.
The mother–daughter relationship is portrayed with remarkable sensitivity. It grounds the film emotionally, ensuring that its commentary on technology never becomes detached from human feeling. This balance is one of the film’s greatest strengths.
Performances That Speak Through Silence
Sonal Madhushankar delivers a performance of rare authenticity. Her Nehma does not rely on dramatic monologues or exaggerated emotion. Instead, her silences, pauses, and watchful expressions convey decades of inherited resilience and quiet resistance.
The supporting cast, including Gita Guha as Nehma’s supervisor, further reinforces the film’s realism. There are no villains in the traditional sense—only systems, hierarchies, and structures that perpetuate inequality.
Direction, Atmosphere, and Visual Language
Aranya Sahay’s direction is understated and confident. The camera lingers on everyday labour, landscapes, and routines, allowing viewers to absorb the rhythm of Nehma’s world. Jharkhand is not exoticised; it is presented as a living, breathing space where tradition and modernity uneasily coexist.
The data-labeling centre scenes are particularly effective, visually reinforcing how human judgment is reduced to mechanical clicks, even as those clicks shape global AI systems.
Global Recognition and Cultural Impact
The film’s critical acclaim is well deserved. Backed by the Film Independent Sloan Distribution Grant—previously awarded to films like The Imitation Game, Hidden Figures, and Oppenheimer—Humans in the Loop has carved out a strong global presence.
From its premiere at MAMI to screenings at IFFK and a carefully curated U.S. theatrical launch in Los Angeles, the film has sparked meaningful conversations across communities—South Asian, Indigenous, and technology-focused audiences alike. Its qualification as a contender for the 98th Academy Awards in the Best Original Screenplay category further underscores its international relevance.
Why This Film Matters Today
Humans in the Loop is not just a film about AI. It is a film about labour, gender, caste, geography, and the quiet ways in which progress can exclude those who make it possible.
In a world rushing to automate empathy, this film asks us to slow down and ask difficult questions:
-
Who trains our machines?
-
Whose knowledge is valued?
-
And who remains invisible in the story of technological advancement?
These questions feel especially urgent today—and cinema rarely addresses them with such honesty.
Final Verdict
Humans in the Loop is a rare cinematic achievement: socially conscious without being preachy, intellectually challenging yet emotionally grounded. It is a film that trusts its audience to think, reflect, and feel.
For readers discovering meaningful cinema through MovieKaTicket.com, and viewers exploring films via the MovieKaTicket Films Review App, this is a must-watch. Movie Ka Ticket strongly recommends Humans in the Loop as one of the most important Indian films of the decade—quietly radical, deeply humane, and profoundly necessary.
Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐½