Writer-director Aranya Sahay’s debut feature, Humans in the Loop, follows Nehma, an Oraon Adivasi woman who returns to her Jharkhand village after a divorce. To support herself, she takes a job at a local AI data-labeling center, where human annotation trains foreign algorithms. This setup frames two tracks of conflict. One concerns the bias and machine logic embedded in the systems Nehma helps develop during her shifts.
The other sits at home, where her pre-teen daughter, Dhaanu, longs for the city she left and bristles at her new environment. The film moves with a measured tone and steady quiet, tracing the friction between indigenous knowledge and contemporary technology while holding close to labor and family as the story’s anchor.
The Architecture of Learning
Sahay organizes the narrative around a clean thematic echo between Nehma’s parenting and her work. The film treats both the AI model in training and Dhaanu as learners taking in information and values, with the risk that preexisting prejudice can be reinforced.
The storytelling draws a sharp line between the two modes of learning. The model seeks to reduce error and absorb labeled data. Humans, including Nehma and Dhaanu, carry feelings, can unlearn, and can change patterns over time. That distinction gives the mother-daughter relationship weight.
Early scenes sketch a brittle routine. Dhaanu resents the absence of Wi-Fi and mobile networks. Her world widens after befriending Malti, whose presence eases her into village rhythms and a slower pace. The film threads a porcupine motif through these shifts, a quiet image tied to Nehma’s bond with the natural world and the resilience she wears without comment.
That image becomes connective tissue as Dhaanu learns of Nehma’s history with caste discrimination and recognizes a reflection of her own frustrations. The structure wobbles when the script turns to the AI economy around Nehma’s job.
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Her path toward independence intersects with a workflow that may recycle images in ways that raise concerns or lock bias into datasets. The film stages empowerment inside a system of invisible global data labor and leaves ethical knots without full resolution, which creates a strain the narrative cannot completely absorb.
Visual Language and Aesthetic Choices
Working within clear resource limits, the film often looks striking. Cinematographers Harshit Saini and Monica Tiwari render rural Jharkhand with precision and care, shaping images that feel composed and alive.
Lighting and color carry strong intent, especially the saturated greens of nighttime scenes offset by purposeful keying on faces. The glow of monitors at the data center cuts against these natural palettes, marking a firm visual break between Nehma’s work floor and the textures of her home.
The 1.55:1 aspect ratio functions as a storytelling tool. It narrows the frame into a storybook-like rectangle that keeps attention on bodies, glances, and quiet shifts in mood. Sound carries equal purpose. The score mixes electronic textures with folk instrumentation to mirror the film’s interest in modern technique and cultural memory.
Saransh Sharma’s ambient cues build atmosphere without crowding the frame. The production still shows small seams at points, including hot highlights around windows and vehicles that pull the eye away from performances.
Character Depth and Script Limitations
Sonal Madhushankar gives Nehma a contained, intelligent presence. She signals calculation and care in the same beat, holding the household together while absorbing the demands of the new job. The result is steady and persuasive. Ridhima Singh’s Dhaanu fits the role’s restless edges, mapping a young person’s unease in a place she did not choose. As the manager, Gita Guha mixes warmth with workplace remove, a balance that keeps those office scenes credible.
The writing around the margins is thinner. Supporting characters, including Nehma’s ex-husband, function mainly as devices that surface her past or press the plot forward. They register as light sketches across a feature-length canvas. Dialogue exposes a larger issue. Lines sometimes land with stiffness or an artificial cadence, and younger performers occasionally sound locked to the page.
The effect points to dialogue that could use another pass or to a translation that doesn’t sit comfortably in performance. The film’s perspective remains fresh and its thematic net is wide, yet the spare character work and the rigid sound of certain exchanges hold the piece back from its full reach.
Humans in the Loop is a 2024 Indian drama film that explores the intersection of traditional life and cutting-edge technology. The film centers on Nehma, an Adivasi woman from Jharkhand who takes a job as an AI data labeler after her divorce, finding herself training an artificial intelligence system that reflects the same biases her community has faced. Written and directed by Aranya Sahay, the film premiered at festivals like MAMI and IFFK, earning critical acclaim for its unique perspective on AI and social issues. The movie began streaming globally on Netflix on October 31, 2025.
Credits
Title: Humans in the Loop
Distributor: Netflix
Release date: October 31, 2025 (Worldwide Netflix release)
Running time: 74 minutes (1 hour 14 minutes)
Director: Aranya Sahay
Writers: Aranya Sahay
Producers and Executive Producers: Mathivanan Rajendran, Sarabhi Ravichandran, Shilpa Kumar, Kiran Rao, Biju Toppo
Cast: Sonal Madhushankar, Ridhima Singh, Gita Guha, Vikas Gupta, Anurag Lugun, Anushka Bhadar, Aranya Sahay
Director of Photography (Cinematographer): Harshit Saini, Monica Tiwari
Editors: Swaroop Reghu, Aranya Sahay
Composer: Saransh Sharma
The Review
Humans in the Loop
Aranya Sahay's debut is a visually spectacular work that thoughtfully examines the clash between indigenous wisdom and artificial intelligence. Its strongest component is the delicate emotional learning cycle depicted in the mother-daughter relationship. Sonal Madhushankar delivers a strong central performance. However, the film struggles with minimal character depth for supporting roles and frequently awkward dialogue. While its thematic heart is sound and its worldview refreshing, the script's shortcomings hinder its full realization as a feature.
PROS
- Spectacular visuals and cinematography
- Powerful, restrained lead performance (Sonal Madhushankar)
- Complex thematic parallel (AI vs. Motherhood)
- Evocative sound and music design
- Effective use of the 1.55:1 aspect ratio
CONS
- Minimal depth in supporting characters
- Dialogue frequently feels inorganic or awkward
- Questionable portrayal of empowerment through the AI center
- Minor technical compromises (e.g., strong highlights)
- Pacing occasionally suffers due to thin subplots
