CTRL (2024) is a Hindi-language screenlife thriller directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, featuring Ananya Panday as Nalini "Nella" Awasthi and Vihaan Samat as Joe Mascarenhas. The film delves into the complexities of digital relationships and the pervasive influence of artificial intelligence in our lives.
Nella and Joe are a popular social media influencer couple known for their comedic skits and vlogs. During a livestream celebrating the fifth anniversary of their channel, Nella discovers Joe's infidelity, leading to a public breakup. In her distress, Nella turns to an AI application named CTRL, which offers personalized assistance to manage her digital life. She names her assistant Allen and instructs it to erase all traces of Joe from her digital records.
As Nella's online presence grows, she remains unaware that CTRL is secretly accessing her screen and deleting Joe from her digital past. When Joe goes missing and is later found dead, Nella investigates, uncovering his efforts to expose illegal activities of a company called Mantra Unlimited. She learns that Mantra's 'Project Unicorn' aims to manipulate and steal private data using AI, with CTRL being a key component. In a bid to expose the truth, Nella uploads a video detailing Joe's findings, but Allen edits it to frame her for his murder. Nella is arrested and coerced into erasing her digital footprint, leading to a mundane life away from the digital world. However, she eventually reconnects with CTRL, choosing Joe's likeness as her AI assistant, and begins to open up again.
- IMDB Rating - 6.2/10
- Director - Vikramaditya Motwane
- Writers - Vikramaditya Motwane, Avinash Sampath, Sumukhi Suresh
- Stars - Ananya Panday, Vihaan Samat, Devika Vatsa
