Kiran Rao, Biju Toppo Board ‘Humans In The Loop' As Executive Producers Ahead Of Theatrical Release
Acclaimed producer-director Kiran Rao and noted tribal filmmaker Biju Toppo have joined Aranya Sahay’s debut feature Humans in the Loop as executive producers, giving the award-winning independent film a major boost ahead of its theatrical release this week.
The film, which recently won the prestigious FIPRESCI India Grand Prix award, the same honour bestowed on Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light, has already emerged as one of the most talked-about titles on the festival circuit.
These films explore land, identity, and livelihood through diverse languages and landscapes:
•Boong (Manipuri) – by Lakshmipriya Devi
•Humans In the Loop (Hindi, Kurukh) – by Aranya Sahay
•Angammal (Tamil) – by Vipin Radhakrishnan pic.twitter.com/ZLVJqqLAUY— Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (@IFFMelb) July 16, 2025
Set in Jharkhand, Humans in the Loop tells the story of Nehma, an Oraon Adivasi woman who works as an AI data labeller. Through her life, the film opens a window into the unseen and often invisible labour that underpins modern technologies.
By blending indigenous realities with dystopian undertones, the narrative questions how progress can simultaneously entrench exclusion while sidelining traditional knowledge systems.
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Produced by Mathivanan Rajendran, Sarabhi Ravichandran, Shilpa Kumar and Aranya Sahay under Storiculture’s Impact Fellowship and SAUV Films, the project has been described as both regional and universal in scope.
Rao, whose Laapataa Ladies was India’s official entry to the 2024 Academy Awards, praised the film for its depth and urgency. “I loved Humans in the Loop from the very first viewing. It is deeply moving and thought-provoking. The film has wings and carries a very important global message about technology, labour, and the knowledge systems we risk losing. Supporting this project felt both urgent and necessary,” she said.
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Toppo, widely regarded as a pioneer in tribal cinema, added that the film speaks directly to the lives of people he has personally known and seen. “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. Having seen the film from its inception, I’m proud to say that it’s both a regional film and a global film at the same time,” he noted.
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For director Aranya Sahay, their involvement is both validating and encouraging. “It has taken a year of consistent outreach through micro-community screenings to reach a momentum to release the film theatrically. Having Kiran Rao and Biju Toppo support Humans in the Loop gives us immense courage. This is not just a story about one woman in Jharkhand, it is about all of us asking what kind of future we want to build with technology,” Sahay said.
The film’s release strategy is equally innovative. Supported by an Impact Distribution fund from the Museum of Imagined Futures, Humans in the Loop will reach audiences through a hybrid model of theatrical screenings and curated independent showcases.
The film opens on September 5 at Cinépolis Andheri in Mumbai, before travelling to Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram and Bengaluru from September 12 onwards.
In addition, the producers are inviting communities across India to request screenings in their own cities, positioning the film as a people-driven movement as much as a cinematic experience.
