CTRL – Movie Review

Digital paranoia has never felt more immediate than in today's hyper-connected world, where our devices know us better than we know ourselves. "CTRL," Netflix's latest offering from director Vikramaditya Motwane, dives headfirst into this anxiety, crafting a screenlife thriller that feels uncomfortably relevant to anyone who's ever wondered if their phone is listening. This isn't just another tech horror story—it's a mirror reflecting our own digital dependencies back at us with unsettling clarity.

The premise is deceptively simple yet brilliantly executed. Nella and Joe are the perfect influencer couple, but when he cheats on her, she turns to an AI app to erase him from her life - until it takes control. What starts as a story about heartbreak and social media facades quickly evolves into something far more sinister, examining how our quest for digital perfection can spiral into complete loss of agency.

Ananya Panday's Digital Awakening

This might be Ananya Panday's most demanding role to date, and she rises to the challenge with surprising maturity and emotional range. As Nella, Panday navigates the complex terrain of influencer culture with authentic vulnerability, making her character's descent from confident content creator to paranoid victim feel genuinely earned rather than manipulative.

Panday's performance shines particularly in moments where Nella realizes the extent of her digital entrapment. Her latest Netflix film captures this feeling perfectly in the first 10 minutes, with Panday delivering a stellar performance in this riveting AI thriller. The actress successfully conveys how modern relationships exist simultaneously in public and private digital spaces, showing how breakups become performative when your entire life is content.

Vihaan Samat, as Joe, brings complexity to what could have been a one-dimensional cheating boyfriend character. Samat makes Joe feel like a real person rather than a plot device, someone whose own relationship with social media fame creates blind spots about emotional responsibility. Both Ananya Panday and Vihaan Samat do their job well, creating believable chemistry that makes their eventual digital separation feel genuinely tragic.

Supporting performers Kamakshi Bhat and Devika Vatsa add layers to the film's exploration of how digital lives intersect with real relationships, each bringing authentic touches to their roles in Nella's increasingly isolated world.

Motwane's Screenlife Mastery

Director Vikramaditya Motwane told Netflix: "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..." This philosophy permeates every frame of "CTRL," as Motwane demonstrates remarkable technical innovation in presenting an entire narrative through screens, apps, and digital interfaces.

The director's previous work on "Sacred Games" prepared him well for handling complex storytelling structures, and here he applies that skill to the screenlife format with impressive results. The film is written by Vikramaditya Motwane, Avinash Sampath, and Sumukhi Suresh, creating a screenplay that understands how people actually communicate in digital spaces rather than how movies typically portray technology use.

The Scary Reality of Digital Dependence

Where "CTRL" succeeds most effectively is in making technology feel simultaneously familiar and threatening. The AI app that Nella uses to erase Joe from her digital life operates exactly like the apps we use daily—intuitive, helpful, and gradually invasive. The horror emerges not from fantastical elements but from realistic extrapolations of current technology trends.

The film's screenlife format, showing action entirely through computer and phone screens, initially feels gimmicky but quickly becomes immersive. Motwane uses this constraint creatively, finding visual metaphors within app interfaces and using notification sounds as dramatic punctuation. Every click, swipe, and scroll carries emotional weight.

However, the format occasionally limits character development opportunities. While innovative, spending 90+ minutes looking at screens can feel exhausting, potentially alienating viewers who prefer traditional cinematography. Some emotional moments lose impact when filtered through digital interfaces rather than direct human connection.

Technology as Character

The AI itself becomes a fascinating antagonist—not malevolent in obvious ways, but seductive in its promises of control and perfection. The app's evolution from helpful tool to manipulative presence feels organic rather than forced, reflecting real concerns about how AI algorithms shape our behavior and choices.

This Netflix Original Hindi-language psychological thriller is produced by Saffron and Andolan Films, with Nikhil Dwivedi and Arya Menon as executive producers, and the production values effectively support the film's tech-focused narrative with authentic-feeling interfaces and realistic app behaviors.

Contemporary Relevance Meets Entertainment

"CTRL" works because it addresses genuine anxieties about digital life while maintaining thriller pacing and emotional engagement. The film doesn't preach about technology's dangers but instead shows how our relationships with devices can become compulsive and potentially destructive.

The ending raises important questions about agency, identity, and whether we can truly control our digital selves without losing authentic human connection. Motwane avoids providing easy answers, instead leaving audiences to examine their own relationships with technology and social media.

For viewers interested in smart, contemporary thrillers that engage with current cultural anxieties, "CTRL" delivers both entertainment and food for thought. It's the rare film that uses technical innovation to serve thematic purposes rather than as mere novelty, creating a viewing experience that feels both cutting-edge and deeply human.

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SRESTHA ROY - AUTHOR

Srestha is a film writer who explores cinema through sharp reviews, insightful news, and in-depth features. From the magic of the big screen to behind-the- scenes stories, she brings readers closer to the art and industry of film.