CTRL is a 2024 Indian Hindi-language screenlife thriller film directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, written by Motwane and Avinash Sampath with dialogues by Sumukhi Suresh. Produced by Nikhil Dwivedi and Arya Menon under the banners of Saffron Magicworks and Andolan Films, the film stars Ananya Panday and Vihaan Samat. It premiered on Netflix on 4 October 2024.

Premise

Nella is a social media influencer with a popular internet show with her boyfriend Joe, named enJoy. One day, to surprise Joe, she goes to the restaurant where he is eating along with his public interest tech group. However, to her surprise, Joe is kissing another woman. Her livestream goes viral and turns into a huge scandal. In order to fix her life, without money, she decides to revive her channel, by making a revenge saga which becomes popular, causing her to regain her fame. While this goes on, she decides to use an app called CTRL to remove Joe's existence from all of her photos, videos and files. Unbeknownst to her, the app is secretly accessing her computer when she is not looking. She buys an upscale apartment and lives a lavish lifestyle. However, one day, Joe comes with something urgent. She shoes him away A few days later, she receives a call from her friend that Joe has gone missing.

Cast

Ananya Panday as Nalini "Nella" Awasthi Vihaan Samat as Joe Mascarenhas Devika Vatsa as Bina Kamakshi Bhat as Shonali Suchita Trivedi as Nella's mother Samit Gambhir as Manish Hirani Kundan Pandey as Kundan Ravish Desai as Aryan K Aparshakti Khurana as Allen (voice)

Production

The film was announced in February 2023. Principal photography of the film wrapped in February 2024. The teaser was released on 4 August 2024. The film is cinematographically inspired by the POV art-style of Aneesh Chaganty's directorial debut Searching (2018).

Music

Reception

Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave 3.5 stars out of 5 and stated that "CTRL, in spirit and substance, reinforces Vikramaditya Motwane's proven penchant for turning an established genre on its head." Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com rated the film 4/5 stars and called it an "eerie, immersive, real-time experience". Rishabh Suri from Hindustan Times termed the film an Indian version of Black Mirror. Nandini Ramnath of Scroll.in considered it a "gripping thriller about data privacy in the age of AI". Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express rated 2.5/5 stars and said in her review "While both Ananya Panday and Vihaan Samat do their job well, the film truly feels potent only when it comes off the screen." Anuj Kumar of The Hindu stated in his review that "Director Vikramaditya Motwane succeeds in creating the mood, moments, and message but the thriller lacks the killer punch". Arushi Jain of India Today rated 2.5/5 stars and said "Ananya Panday's film offers an intriguing concept about AI's impact on life and love but falters with a tedious execution, ultimately failing to deliver a compelling message." Dhaval Roy of The Times of India gave 3 stars out of 5 and observed that "While CTRL excels in depicting social media obsession and AI's influence, its thriller parts are underdeveloped and don’t quite hit the mark. Despite thought-provoking themes and impressive visuals, it leaves viewers craving complexity and depth." Lachmi Deb Roy of Firstpost writes in her review that "Netflix’s CTRL teaches us to take control of our life and not to be slaves of technology. Engaging idea, but not executed well." The Statesman gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote that Ananya's ability to convey the emotional weight of Nella’s predicament elevates the film, making the audience empathize with her struggles, while supporting performances from the cast further enrich the narrative. The lauded the film's visual style, anchored in the digital landscape that enhances its thematic depth.

See also

Missing (2023 film) Searching (film series)

References

External links

CTRL at IMDb CTRL on Netflix CTRL at Bollywood Hungama