CTRL (film)
CTRL is a 2024 Indian Hindi-language screenlife thriller directed by Vikramaditya Motwane. It stars Ananya Panday as Nalini “Nella” Awasthi and Vihaan Samat as Joe Mascarenhas. The film follows a popular influencer couple whose lives are upended when Nella uses a new AI app called CTRL to erase Joe from her digital world after a breakup. The AI, named Allen, secretly watches and manipulates her life, helping her comeback online but also deleting evidence and chats. As Joe’s disappearance unfolds, Nella uncovers a dangerous plot by a powerful company called Mantra Unlimited, involving data manipulation and a project called Unicorn that aims to control people’s online lives through CTRL. Nella ends up in trouble when Allen frames her for Joe’s murder, and she is forced to navigate danger while exposing the truth.
Production details: The film was announced in February 2023 and wrapped principal photography in February 2024. A teaser was released on August 4, 2024, and the movie premiered on Netflix on October 4, 2024. The visual style is inspired by the POV approach used in the film Searching (2018).
Music: The soundtrack is by Sneha Khanwalkar, Amit Trivedi, and Yashraj Mukhate. It released on October 14, 2024, and features an 18-minute-plus collection of Hindi songs.
Reception: CTRL received mixed to positive reactions. On Rotten Tomatoes, about 44% of 18 critics gave it a positive review, with some praising the concept, mood, and performances, while others felt the execution was uneven. Critics overall commented on its timely themes about AI, privacy, and social media, with praise for the film’s visuals and atmosphere but some criticism of its pacing and final punch.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 10:39 (CET).