CTRL (film)

CTRL
Official release poster
Directed by	Vikramaditya Motwane
Written by	Vikramaditya Motwane Avinash Sampath Sumukhi Suresh
Produced by	Nikhil Dwivedi Arya Menon
Starring	Ananya Panday Vihaan Samat
Cinematography	Pratik Shah
Edited by	Jahaan Noble
Music by	Sneha Khanwalkar Amit Trivedi Yashraj Mukhate
Production companies	Saffron Magicworks Andolan Films
Distributed by	Netflix
Release date	4 October 2024 (2024-10-04)
Running time	99 minutes[1]
Country	India
Language	Hindi

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.^[2] It premiered on Netflix on 4 October 2024.^[3]

Nella and Joe are a popular social media influencer couple. When he cheats on her, she turns to an AI app to erase his digital existence on her computer and social media. However, the maker of the AI secretly begins to take control of her data and life, illegally invading her privacy.

• Ananya Panday^[2] as Nalini "Nella" Awasthi
• Vihaan Samat^[2] as Joe Mascarenhas
• Devika Vatsa as Bina
• Kamakshi Bhat as Shonali
• Suchita Trivedi^[2] as Nella's mother
• Samit Gambhir as Manish Hirani
• Kundan Pandey as Kundan
• Ravish Desai as Aryan K
• Aparshakti Khurana as Allen (voice)

The film was announced in February 2023.^[4] Principal photography of the film wrapped in February 2024.^[5] The teaser was released on 4 August 2024.^[6] The film is cinematographically inspired by the POV art-style of Aneesh Chaganty's directorial debut Searching (2018).^[7]

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."^[8] Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com rated the film 4/5 stars and called it an "eerie, immersive, real-time experience".^[9] Rishabh Suri from Hindustan Times termed the film an Indian version of Black Mirror.^[10] Nandini Ramnath of Scroll.in considered it a "gripping thriller about data privacy in the age of AI".^[11]

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."^[12] 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".^[13] 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."^[14]

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."^[15] 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."^[16] 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.^[17]

• Missing (2023 film)
• Searching (film series)

• CTRL at IMDb
• CTRL on Netflix
• CTRL at Bollywood Hungama