CTRL Review: Ananya Panday Is A Gripping Lead In Motwane's Screenlife Thriller

What happens when individuals come together to work on a project that plays to their strengths? Take Vikramaditya Motwane, whose speciality lies in crafting an entire universe around human emotions. Then there's Ananya Panday, who has a knack for bringing her real-age characters to life in the most relatable way. The outcome can be something extraordinary. That’s precisely what CTRL aspires to achieve. In this Netflix original film, Motwane expertly crafts a relatable universe, while Ananya Panday skillfully captures the complexities of her character, bringing the nuances of Motwane’s storytelling to life.

CTRL: Vikramaditya Motwane Crafts A Relatable Digital World, But Ananya Panday Steals The Show

Set against the vibrant backdrop of 2024, the story revolves around Nella Awasthi, a young woman diving into the whirlwind of social media algorithms in her quest to monetise her online presence. After relocating from Delhi to Mumbai in 2018 for her education, Nella experiences newfound freedom, liberated from parental surveillance and expectations.

She finds love in her classmate, Joe Mascarenhas played by Vihaan Samat and together, they create a social media page, sharing their life in a fun and exciting way. Their relationship seems full of joy and fun activities, creating an image of happiness that attracts many followers. However, as they hit the five-year mark, the once-vibrant romance dims, revealing that the excitement was merely a performance for their audience and their likes and engagement, while genuine love quietly faded.

To create an authentic universe of social media influencers, CTRL incorporates everything from influencers' lifestyles, brand deals, viral reels, memes, trolling to creator summits. It also has cameos by popular creators like Tanmay Bhat, and Yashraj Mukhate.

Nella, now experiences the rollercoaster of emotions and the pain of betrayal, but the real shock comes when she realises her entire freedom hinges on the income generated from her social media persona. Facing the double blow of heartbreak and financial instability, she finds herself yearning to reclaim both her love and her livelihood.

In a bid to recover from her losses, Nella turns to an AI application called CTRL, designed to help her erase the remnants of her past relationship and reinvent herself as a badass, independent woman on social media. That's where the plot takes a turn. Like most people who skip over the terms and conditions, Nella blindly grants access to CTRL.

What follows is a deep dive into the darker side of social media and AI, online data breaches and the risks we often overlook. Finally, Nella is forced to do what she hated, live with her parents, depend on them financially, and hide herself. To see how this unfolds, head over to Netflix, where the film portrays these issues head-on, revealing the real dangers lurking behind our digital lives. 

In the climax, Nella, now a victim of CTRL, still commands it, "Take control of my life and happiness," which hits close to home for all of us. Haven't we been doing the same? If Motwane’s aim was to remind us of this unsettling reality, then to some extent, he's certainly succeeded.

My take on CTRL is that it’s a one-time watch, driven by an intriguing concept from Motwani, dialogues by Sumukhi Suresh, and strong performances by Samat and Panday.

Views expressed by the author are their own.