CTRL review: Clever concept, tedious execution

The concept of the Netflix film CTRL, headlined by Ananya Panday, is intriguing. The film unfolds in real-time, where everything we see is limited to whatever is on the screen of Nella Awasthi’s (Ananya) laptop or phone. Director Vikramaditya Motwane and screenwriter Avinash Sampath allow us to feel as if we’re logging in, clicking and typing along with Nella in real-time as she gives “control of her life and happiness” to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and asks it to “erase her ex from her life”.
The film delivers on what must be the biggest nightmare for the modern generation, which is relying on AI from morning until night, which has let social media take over their mind, thoughts, sight and pretty much everything. The first act feels like a clever commentary on how social media consume us.
But it is not as effective as it sounds. A well-written premise, with a good performance from Ananya, who is on the screen pretty much all the time, and a well-timed commentary on the role of the internet in our lives, is upended by a weak first half, making you wish you switched on the film at the midway point.

CTRL opens with an endearing love story between Joe (Vihaan Samaat) and Nella, drawing viewers into their charming, yet relatable, romance. However, the film swiftly pivots to a stark portrayal of their online breakup, echoing the experiences of many social media-savvy couples today.
Joe’s candid reflection on their relationship — “Our relationship was all about what to post, when to post, what will get us better engagement” — captures how superficial modern love is.
Over the next few minutes, which feels like an eternity, we watch Nella dealing with her breakup, with tips from AI. We’re subjected to an endless montage of Nella scrolling through her AI’s breakup advice: “Burn his photos”, “tear his clothes”, and “shame him on social media”. The scene starts with her sifting through an app, where the AI—voiced with a bland monotone flirts with Nella before telling her the dos and don’ts of dealing with heartbreak on social media. The sequence feels painfully unending, dragging on for nearly ten minutes, leaving the audience to squirm.
Over the rest of the film, Nella frantically searches for Joe using the internet and breaking through all the passwords and privacy of his internet life (another nightmare for those who practically live their life on the web). While she does so, the makers expect you to do a lot of reading, and to follow a lot of text-based activity, and this can feel tedious and overwhelming.

Film director Vikramaditya Motwane with Ananya Panday.

What Vikramaditya Motwane and his team have done exceptionally well is make the film feel organic. Whenever Nella is on a video call with her friend Bina, it feels completely natural. There are no extra lights to brighten the calls; they have been shot in natural light, which adds to the authenticity. Even the apps created for the film have an aesthetic quality.
The film takes a powerful stance on the internet’s pervasive influence on our lives, cleverly exploring themes of privacy invasion and the commodification of personal experiences. What really struck me was how the film draws home the fact how the absence of social media instils a sense of loneliness.
If it isn’t clear by now, the film has a message: stop living your life online. CTRL seems to be a cautionary tale about the invasion of data privacy on social media and the dangers of AI. However, this endeavour is tedious and ultimately lacks any satisfying payoff.
2.5 out of 5 stars for CTRL.