CTRL is a dark psychological cyber-thriller film that exposes the negative aspects of the high-tech world and explores the burning issues of privacy invasion of common web users.
This suspense film tells the story of an influencer who utilizes an AI tool to eliminate online evidence related to her ex. But can one truly take control of one’s digital footprint?
“CTRL” Hindi Movie Is A Timely Reminder About ‘Social Media Platforms’, ‘Artificial Intelligence-AI’, ‘Privacy’ & More
In computing terminology, the Control key, designated as CTRL (Ctrl), functions as a modifier key that, when pressed in conjunction with another key, initiates a special operation (for example, CTRL+C or CTRL+P). Like the Shift key, the Control key infrequently executes any function when pressed independently.
Spoiler Free Review: CTRL (2024/India) Movie Review
The trailer
The storyline
CTRL, the keyboard shortcut for control, follows the journey of Nella (Ananya Panday) and Joe (Vihaan Samat), who meet in their teenage years and develop a strong bond. Their adorable relationship captures the hearts of internet users, propelling them into the realm of influencers as they vlog about key moments in their lives.
Eventually, their relationship becomes more transactional, where the emphasis on earning money becomes paramount.
One fateful day, Nella accidentally streams a live video that exposes Joe’s betrayal, resulting in her decision to end their relationship. A follower advises her to download the CTRL app, which promises to wipe Joe from her digital life. This AI assistant asserts that it can erase all traces of Joe from her online presence.
Since the deletion may take some time, the app politely requests her permission to acquire administrative rights on her computer. Predictably, the situation deteriorates rapidly.
In this Hindi film, Nella (Ananya Panday) and Joe (Vihaan Samat) are seen as the ideal couple in the influencer realm. However, after Joe's act of betrayal, Nella utilizes an AI app to expunge him from her life, leading to unforeseen consequences as the app starts to take control. So, the big question is who is actually in CTRL or CONTROL?
It is a timely and pertinent storyline of our modern times
These days, in modern times, we are living in a digitally connected world of social media, online shopping, artificial intelligence and other aspects of shrinking cyber platforms. As a result, many of us have become addicted to the high-technology electronic devices dominated by laptops, tablets, smartphones, smart watches, etc. One could say, that many of us (especially youngsters) have inadvertently become the slave to such hi-tech. gadgets.
“With the amount of time we spend on our devices, screen time is now redefined as screen life. The question is, are we actually in control of all the digital extensions of our life, or are we being controlled? That’s the CTRL tries to explore.”
Director Vikramaditya Motwane | Netflix
Kudos to all the writers, namely, Vipin Agnihotri, Avinash Sampath, Sumukhi Suresh and Vikramaditya Motwane. With the CTRL (2024) movie, all of these writers have brought on screen, timely and pertinent storylines of our modern times. In the past, we remember watching, the “Searching” (2018) and the “Missing” (2023) movies. But these two English films highlighted the positive aspects of technology. On the other hand, this Hindi film explores the negative facets of technology.
Director Vikramaditya Motwane has directed a taut thriller
Once again, the film director Vikramaditya Motwane (also director of the “Sacred Games” Series) has directed a taut thriller. His latest Hindi movie delves deep into the digital tale of modern times. Wherein, many of us access the various apps and social media platforms on the internet, and in the process, we unintentionally share our private information with the people who manage these platforms. “Big Brother Is Watching You”, we have often heard the famous phrase used in George Orwell’s ‘1984’ book. Now, this engrossing Hindi movie takes this theme of users’ privacy a step further.
Key details
| Genre | Drama, Thriller |
| Original Language | Hindi |
| Dubbed Languages | Tamil, Telugu, & English |
| Duration | 1 hour 39 minutes |
| Writers | Vipin Agnihotri, Avinash Sampath, Sumukhi Suresh & Vikramaditya Motwane |
| Director | Vikramaditya Motwane |
| Cast | Ananya Panday (Nella Awasthi), Vihaan Samat (Joe Mascarenhas), Kamakshi Bhat (Shonali), Devika Vatsa (Bina), Ravish Desai (Aryan K), Aparshakti Khurana {Allen(voice)}, Tanmay Bhat, Rohan Joshi, Aaditya Kulshreshth, Manish Hirani, Vishal Dayama, etc. |
| Network | Netflix |
The poster
The rating
| FM Rating | 3.50/5 |
The conclusion
In this film, we liked the performances of Ananya Panday (Nella Awasthi) and Vihaan Samat (Joe Mascarenhas), as they kept us engaged in this eye-opening tale of the present day.
We are already witnessing, how the governments (with the help of private players) are misusing these hi-tech. tracking methods to misuse and invade the privacy of users. We are indeed living in dangerous times, wherein our privacy stands completely compromised by the big tech. firms and social media giants. So, many of us have honestly (losing or) lost control/CTRL of our lives. And that is a very high price that we all have paid for trying to become ‘smart users’. And that is the tragedy of our era.
Featured Image – Ananya Panday (Nella Awasthi)
Poster and Featured Image of CTRL (2024/India) Movie. | Pictures Credit: Netflix and Canva.com