CTRL Movie Review: Vikramaditya Motwane's new film CTRL is an experimental thriller, but it feels experimental only in how it depicts its meatless story. When the trailer for CTRL was released, someone commented on X that Ananya Panday has an “iPhone face.” It’s as if Bollywood took that joke seriously, frequently casting her as someone obsessed with social media, whether in Liger, Kho Gaye Hum Kahaan, the recent Call Me Bae series, and now CTRL. Interestingly, Vihaan Samat, who played her husband in Call Me Bae, now plays her boyfriend in CTRL, and once again, it is infidelity that comes between them. ‘CTRL’ Star Ananya Panday Calls for Government Action on AI Misuse Following Celebrity Deepfake Scandals.

Nella (Ananya Panday) and Joe (Vihaan Samat) are an influencer couple who post nearly every aspect of their lives on social media while marketing and selling products through their videos. While trying to surprise him on their fifth anniversary, Nella sees Joe kissing another woman, and she ends up in a physical altercation with them that goes viral, with netizens both sympathising with and trolling her.

Watch the Trailer of 'CTRL':

In the midst of heartbreak, Nella tries to use an AI app called CTRL, recommended by a follower, to take control of her social media life. Taking the form of a creepier version of Rohit Saraf, Allen, the AI, begins to 'delete' Joe's photos from every picture she took of him. But the app has a more sinister purpose that Nella doesn’t discover until it’s too late.

'CTRL' Movie Review - Not Black Mirror!

When I saw the trailer for CTRL, I had a feeling the premise had the makings of a Black Mirror episode. What if artificial intelligence became so powerful that when you asked it to delete someone from your life, it literally erased that person from existence? The trailer was deceptive, though. Yes, something like that does happen, but not in the way you’d expect. This is not a sci-fi horror outing but an aimless lesson on how big corporations are going to control your life, now through AI, because you failed to read the fine print.

A Still From CTRL

I could have forgiven the movie had it gotten to the point quicker. It wants us to invest in the central relationship, but it doesn’t do much to explore the emotional depth of the characters. There’s a part that mirrors Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind as Nella reminisces about the photos she took with Joe before Allen removes his image. But it’s hard to care for the relationship when the only development we’ve seen from Joe so far is him cheating on her.

A Still From CTRL

Later, he’s given a social messiah role, ranting about how corporations are taking advantage of us. The movie shows how powerful AI can be and what happens if it is misused by big corporations, like using it for deepfakes. However, instead, it kind of feels like a docudrama that just highlights the negative influences of technology instead of making a compelling thriller around it. ‘Call Me Bae’ Season 1 Review: Ananya Panday Shines in This Glossy Guilty Pleasure That Plays It Too Safe and Shallow!

'CTRL' Movie Review - Isn't As Clever As It Aims to Be

Most of CTRL's runtime is depicted through screens—either laptops, smartphones, or news channels. This is certainly not a new visual gimmick; we’ve seen this style in films like Searching and its spiritual sequel, Missing. Even Mahesh Narayan’s experimental thriller CU Soon adopted this format. I’m not sure if a Hindi movie has used this storytelling style before, but it somehow distracts from the fact that the story doesn’t offer anything new. The cleverness you’ve seen in the earlier films is missing here, and CTRL eventually abandons this style of narration altogether. Perhaps this was done to give the protagonist a ‘reality check,’ but it feels more like they weren’t sure how to maintain the screenlife format for those events.

A Still From CTRL

While Ananya Panday does a fine job as the protagonist caught in the AI trap (come on, she is now a pro at preening for the front camera), the biggest disappointment for me was Vikramaditya Motwane. From his debut Udaan to his Prime Video series Jubilee, Motwane’s work aims to inspire and impress, and he nearly manages it every time. Even his weaker attempts, like Bhavesh Joshi Superhero or AK vs AK, had moments of brilliance. I didn’t find any in CTRL, which felt superficial and shallow throughout. There is a commentary on how celebrities jump into brand promotions without understanding the repercussions, but without a strong screenplay to back it up, the satire doesn’t sting as it should. In fact, forgive me, Mr Motwane, but at times, I wondered if CTRL had also been written and conceptualised by an AI because I just couldn't sense your hold over the movie.

'CTRL' Movie Review - Final Thoughts

For a filmmaker like Vikramaditya Motwane, known for pushing narrative boundaries, CTRL feels unusually restrained and lacks impact. Instead of a thought-provoking thriller with a sharp, biting critique of our growing reliance on AI and social media, the movie ends up as a weak cautionary tale about technology that doesn’t quite know how to use its own tools, bogged down by frail character development and a half-baked storyline. CTRL is streaming on Netflix.

Rating:1.5

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 04, 2024 12:57 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).