Tusshar Sasi

How does artificial intelligence interact with a developing economy, particularly at its lowest rung? Humans in the Loop hits like the casual threats you hear in corporate offices: “Everyone’s replaceable. This is the AI era,” echoing memories from when computers began replacing paper and people. The immediate question then, as I recall, was: “Who will operate them?” Okay, let’s face it. There is no running away from technology. It will only get sharper and smarter, but will human beings grow more intelligent alongside it? In Aranya Sahay’s quiet yet powerful feature, we meet a sharp woman whose natural intellect is tested as she struggles to earn a livelihood. Set in India’s rural Jharkhand, the film opens with Nehma (Sonal Madhushankar), who belongs to the Oraon tribe, failing a CAPTCHA test in a village recruitment drive. She fidgets her fingers, applying human logic as she identifies traffic lights, taxis, and zebra crossings. It is important to mention her caste identity in light of her marital status (or its legitimacy at all). Nehna’s ex-husband, Ritesh (Vikas Gupta), seeks custody of their children, one of them a toddler. A regular job is the only way Nehma would stand a chance against the upper-caste man who lives in the state capital, Ranchi.