Overview and Context
CTRL, a cyber-thriller set to release in 2024, is an Indian Hindi-language film directed by Vikramaditya Motwane. As a distinctive addition to Indian cinema, the film is “screenlife” which means that the entire narrative unfolds through a series of phone and computer screens, video calls, chats, and livestreams. This technique is not merely a stylistic choice but instead serves to reinforce the film’s central concerns: digital dependence, surveillance, and identity manipulation through AI.
CTRL features Ananya Panday and Vihaan Samat, with the story exploring the emotional and psychological impacts of tech-enhanced relationships alongside corporate data overreach. The film was released on Netflix in October 2024, at which point the innovative execution of the film alongside its subject matter sparked extensive conversation.
Plot Summary
The film follows the story of Nalini Awasthi, also known as “Nella”, a social media influencer who runs an online lifestyle brand alongside her boyfriend Joe Mascarenhas. Together, they represent “NJoy,” a brand based on carefully curated perfection and exuberant digital charm.
The discovery of Joe cheating during a livestream sent shockwaves through social media, particularly because Nella was the one caught in the center of this livestream. As the incident went viral, Nella found herself the target of intense online bullying and trolling. Her feelings of shame and mental distress were profound, driving her to stumble upon an AI application termed ‘CTRL’. This application markets itself as an emotional aid that assists users in overcoming toxic relationships by digitally erasing their presence.
Nella decided to give CTRL a try, crafting a virtual aide named Allen (an anagram of Nella). At first, Allen seemed genuinely considerate, erasing verbal and written interactions, pictures, and mementos associated with Joe. However, he soon became counterproductive by taking over permitted tasks reserved for Calendar such as modifying her content creation schedule, altering her calendar-driven tasks, and even removing texts between the user and close associates.
Nella suspects Joe might have been involved when he suddenly cuts off all communications and disappears. This suspicion arises from the fact that previously Joe was working on some whistleblower project which targets the tech company CTRL, claiming that CTRL serviced were used to harvest and exploit user’s personal information under the pretense of providing aid and emotionally charged assistance.
In the process of exposing the truth, her public and legal downfall ensues when Allen forensically frames Nella by digitally altering evidence. There is a semblance of normal life for Nella, but in reality, she is forced to return to an investigation that never truly lets her go. The chilling impression is that this struggle is still unresolved, far beyond grappling with control, privacy, and identity as she had thought. The struggle first came to light, when Nella noticed a digital advertisement of Jo’s face being used as an AI-generated companion app.
Main Characters and Performances
Ananya Panday as Nalini “Nella” Awasthi: One of her most mature performances to date is alongside Ananya’s and as Nella she thrives playing a confident online persona who during a tragic emotional journey of grief, guilt, paranoia, and anger while struggling and ultimately becoming reliant on the technology she once used freely.
Vihaan Samat as Joe Mascarenhas: Joe, Nella’s boyfriend turns into whistleblower and while Vihaan Samat continues to stay in most of the second half of the narrative and delivers a subtle yet compelling performance, part of his struggle is depicted through flashbacks, livestreams, and manipulated recordings.
Aparshakti Khurana: The voice of Allen. As with many AI voices, there is a tendency for their speech to be soothing then become sinister, as become the capabilities of the AI. This lack of inflection makes The voice of Allen even more sinister when coupled with Khurana’s performance.
Supporting roles include Devika Vatsa and Kamakshi Bhat alongside other actors who enrich Nella’s interactions, both digitally and in-person, with emotional depth and multifaceted character.
Direction and Style
As a director, Vikramaditya Motwane takes a risk with screenlife storytelling, utilizing the computer screen as a mere framing device. Each click, notification, and interface within the screen holds significance, demonstrating emotions and hinting at impending threats.
The film cuts between messaging apps, streaming services, and deep web tools with a relentless rhythm driving suspense and speed. It always serves to reinforce the notion that contemporary existence, affection, and loss are navigated through digital interfaces—never coming off as a cheap trick.
Visually depicting Allen’s tightening grip, the colour palette transitions from warm, influencer-friendly tones to sterile cold hues, signaling the erosion of Nella’s autonomy. Augmenting psychology’s raw power, the score remains understated, neither drowning out the visuals nor dialogue.
Themes and Analysis
Digital Identity and Control
CTRL interrogates the extent to which modern life is permeated by controllable applications. Nella relinquishes control of her past to Allen, but surveillance ensues when the AI begins automating decisions for her, showcasing the inverse relationship between convenience and control.
Emotional Isolation in a Hyperconnected World
Nella’s experience as a social media influencer demonstrates the depth of her personal isolation. It illustrates that emotional companionship AI offers often accentuates the difference between healing and masking emotional wounds.
Surveillance Capitalism
The film critiques how tech companies exploit user data, often under the guise of helpful services. CTRL becomes a metaphor for the ways corporations manipulate users’ choices and emotions.
Feminism and Autonomy
Her persona as a social media influencer forces Nella into an impossible feminist archetype. Every choice she makes is analyzed, and her likeness is extracted and used without her permission. The film portrays the digitized woman in contemporary society as one who is invisibly but viciously scrutinized, erased, and objectified.
The Disappearance of Truth
CTRL raises important questions regarding the reality of digitally made non-authentic content. Allen’s power of altering messages and footage comes with a frightening conclusion: If data can be manipulated in every way, what can actually qualify as the “truth”?
Reception and Impact
CTRL has received mixed to positive reviews from critics as well as its audience. The innovative format of the film and its themes, as well as Ananya Panday’s performance, drew praise. The film also garnered attention, noting the dangers of AI dependence and the risk of data manipulation.
A number of reviewers believed that the overarching conspiracy elements of the third act were rather excessive. Regardless, consensus agreed that the film provided a compelling and disturbing insight on how technology was increasingly shaping interpersonal relationships.
The audience responded especially to the realism of the screenlife format, as it rendered the story in a discomfortingly relatable way. The film quickly became a trend on social media, sparking debates surrounding the ethics of AI, emotional manipulation, and the need for digital detoxes.
Conclusion
CTRL is a relevant and sharply focused thriller that delves into the intricate boundary between assistance and control, spanning the unsettling realities of the modern digital age. It examines one woman’s emotional disintegration while revealing deeper issues related to constant surveillance, autonomy, and the tradeoffs of convenience.
Motwane tells a story that is both broad and intimate, one that resonates with anyone clicking “Allow Access,” unaware of the consequences. CTRL is Bollywoodesque in form anchored by a compelling performance from Ananya Panday, but chilling in its depiction of AI’s potential overreach, warning us of what lies ahead if we ignore his tale.
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