In one of the opening scenes of man in the loop Directed by Aranya Sahay, heroine Nehma, who is from the Oraon tribe in a remote village in Jharkhand, lies on one side on a rock with her ear on the ground, looking around her for signs of life in the inanimate and living people. Inspects. , For a moment, the character breaks the fourth wall, looks at the audience and tells you that she is taking you on a journey into her story.
man in the loop was screened at the 29th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) in the Indian Cinema Now category. Nehma, a tribal woman, is divorced from her upper caste husband Ritesh. The couple have two children, 12-year-old Dhanu and one-year-old Guntu, and to gain custody of them, Nehma works as a data-labeler at an Artificial Intelligence (AI) center in the village. However, Sagittarius has difficulty adjusting to his mother’s lifestyle. As the story progresses, Nehma realizes that the AI comes with many prejudices that discriminate against her own community and that she should treat her like her own children, who should be taught things.
Sonal Madhushankar is included man in the loop
Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Data labeling is a process that helps AI identify data for future use. Labelers like Nehma solve CAPTCHA, helping AI distinguish between people and objects, which has huge implications everywhere in the world.
The film explores various themes such as life and non-life and the ever-blurring boundaries between the two. Nehma is happy thinking how both her children and AI are growing. She feels deeply for both. But Nehma’s realization that both of them are prejudiced against her community hurts her, which is beautifully portrayed by Sonal Madhushankar. The hero finds life in nature and everything in it. From rocks to insects, everything exhibits life and is worthy of existing.
man in the loopExplores the idea of a blank slate to determine whether people or, in this case, AI, are truly born devoid of prejudices. It passes both the argument that it is, and that it is not. It also describes the need to train AI, mostly inspired by First World narratives.
Throughout its duration of 72 minutes, the film shows how people have depended on labels since the beginning of civilization. In one scene, during Nehma’s childhood, she tells her friend Roshan how the paintings in the cave depicted how the animals living inside had helped their ancestors. However, present-day Nehma testifies to another form of labeling, describing an insect as a “pest” and a “beautiful” woman as fair. The idea of dominant narratives, created by people with more agency, strengthens dissenting voices, forcing things to fit into a certain mold driven by a single narrative.
Porcupines appear as a leitmotif in the film. Described as the shyest animal in the forest, it symbolizes the coexistence and familiarity with nature that Nehma has.
The film is inspired by the poignant performances of the cast. Ridhima Singh has played the character of Dhanu, a teenager who quarrels with her parents, with the necessary subtlety. Another standout performance comes from Suniti Mahato, from Sarugadhi village in Jonha, Jharkhand, where the film was shot, who plays the childhood role of Nehma.
silence drive man in the loop Further, whether it’s between human characters or something else. The oscillations between hot and cold frames set in the same environment accurately reflect the characters’ inner turmoil.
meet the director
man in the loop Aranya is Sahay’s first feature film. Of which he has directed five short films song for baba saheb And Chait Screened at Mumbai International Film Festival, Science Films Festival and Jaffna Film Festival. He has worked in a show with Imtiaz Ali Dr Arora (2022). Aranya, an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India, has also worked with Patrick Graham dance on the graveA true-crime show.
Director of man in the loop Aranya Sahay Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Aranya, who also explored the topic of caste song for baba saheb, Says, “I think the dominant ethos in Hindi films is quite Brahministic. The people you see on screen, even if you see a wedding scene on screen, the rituals are of the upper caste ethos. It is important to look at it from the perspective of a tribal or Dalit person. He further says,“We are only reflecting uniformity, not diversity.”
The film premiered at the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival earlier this year. After its screening at IFFK, it will be screened again in Mumbai and then screened in Delhi for the government. The last screening of this film will be held in Sarugadhi village where the film was shot.
The project was inspired by an article by journalist Karishma Mehrotra about data labeling in Jharkhand. The film took 12 days to shoot, including two months of pre-production work and seven months of research and writing.
Currently, the director is aiming for a theatrical release in March or April 2025. Aranya says, “The only trick up our sleeve is word of mouth. We neither have any big star nor any big director.
published – December 20, 2024 03:16 PM IST
