eNews
Rao and Toppo plug into Humans in the Loop with producer power
MUMBAI: When cinema meets circuit boards, sparks fly. Humans in the Loop, a feature tracing the life of Nehma, an Oraon Adivasi woman employed as an AI data-labeller in Jharkhand has found two heavyweight backers in filmmakers Kiran Rao and Biju Toppo, who have boarded as executive producers.
The film, fresh off its FIPRESCI India win (shared with All We Imagine as Light), is fast becoming one of the most globally resonant indie titles to emerge from India. For Rao, whose Laapataa Ladies carried India’s flag at the 2024 Oscars, this marks her third indie collaboration after Ship of Theseus and Stolen. “I loved Humans in the Loop from the very first viewing. It is deeply moving and thought-provoking… Supporting this project felt both urgent and necessary,” she said.
Toppo, a pioneer of Adivasi cinema, brings decades of storytelling rooted in indigenous resilience. “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,” he noted.
Directed by Aranya Sahay and produced by Mathivanan Rajendran, Sarabhi Ravichandran, Shilpa Kumar and Sahay under Storiculture’s Impact Fellowship and Sauv Films, the project has been years in the making. It weaves a sharp narrative on how “smart” technologies often depend on invisible human labour while sidelining indigenous knowledge systems.
Independent filmmaking, Sahay admits, “is like walking a tightrope.” But with Rao and Toppo’s support and after a year of micro-community screenings, the film is ready for its theatrical leap. It will debut on 5 September 2025 at Cinépolis Andheri, Mumbai, before expanding to Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, and Bengaluru from 12 September. An alternative distribution model, backed by the Museum of Imagined Futures, will also drive screenings across smaller cities through a cinema of the people initiative.
By combining a robust festival run with grassroots screenings, Humans in the Loop aims to spark urgent public debate on labour, technology and the future we are building placing the voices of India’s most marginalised at the heart of the global AI conversation.
eNews
Paisabazaar launches Credit Premier League 2.0
Nationwide campaign rewards highest credit scores with Rs 1 lakh top prize.
MUMBAI: When credit scores become a national league, even your CIBIL report starts feeling like it’s playing in the IPL and Paisabazaar has just kicked off the second season. Paisabazaar, India’s leading marketplace for financial products and the country’s largest free credit score platform, has announced the return of the Credit Premier League (CPL) 2.0, a fun, nationwide initiative to recognise and reward individuals with the highest credit scores.
Building on the success of the first edition, CPL 2.0 introduces higher rewards and broader participation. The individual(s) with the highest credit score in the country will win Rs 1 lakh, while state champions will each receive Rs 10,000. Additionally, all participants from the winning state, the one with the highest average credit score will also be rewarded.
All winnings will be credited directly to winners’ PB Wallet, allowing them to pay credit card bills, recharge mobiles, or settle utility bills seamlessly on the Paisabazaar platform.
Paisabazaar CEO Santosh Agarwal said the campaign aims to make credit awareness more engaging and mainstream. “With CPL, we are bringing together engagement, gamification and rewards to make conversations around credit scores more mainstream,” he noted. “Our focus remains on building a financially aware and credit-healthy Bharat.”
The first edition of CPL saw over 5.5 million participants, with the highest individual score touching 861. Delhi recorded the highest average credit score of 746.
Consumers can participate simply by checking their free credit score on the Paisabazaar platform or app. The CPL leaderboard and rankings will be available exclusively on the Paisabazaar App.
In a country where financial dreams are serious business, Paisabazaar has found a smart way to turn credit scores into an exciting game – because when your financial health gets rewarded, everyone wants to play.
