Sukanya
Verma
recommends
watching
CTRL
on
a
computer
for
an
eerie,
immersive,
real-time
experience.
Unsettling,
isn’t
it?
Our
most
reliable
source
of
information
and
communication
can
be
programmed
to
keep
tabs
on
our
mind
and
movement
across
the
multiple
devices
that
have
become
indispensable
crutches
of
modern
living.
But
then
the
Internet
has
always
been
a
seductive,
if
not
secure,
space
where
all
its
gifts
come
with
its
share
of
dangers.
From
sharing
personal
details
about
oneself
on
chats
with
complete
strangers,
unwittingly
downloading
software
that
gives
clear
passage
to
malware
and
bugs,
falling
prey
to
sophisticated
phishing
scams
or
divulging
private
data
every
single
time
we
thoughtlessly
tick
a
Terms
and
Conditions
checkbox,
there’s
a
constant
element
of
risk
and
ruin
in
romancing
the
gods
of
cyberspace.
Technology’s
curse
and
boon
remains
the
same.
It
advances
but
the
problem
is
never
in
its
possibilities
as
much
as
the
greed
of
its
wielder,
which
conditions
us
to
believe
if
you’re
not
in,
you’re
out.
It’s
especially
true
for
Gen
Z,
which
hasn’t
known
a
world
where
information
arrived
at
a
leisurely
pace
and
free
from
the
prerequisites
of
instant
gratification.
Living
in
a
digital
age
of
social
media
sensations
where
folks
have
made
a
career
out
of
putting
their
entire
life
online,
emotions
are
substantiated
in
likes,
followers
and
subscriptions,
the
slightest
absence
of
an
emoji
in
a
text
may
suggest
apathy
or
annoyance
and
one
can
assume
any
avatar
or
hide
behind
a
façade
to
troll
whomsoever
they
please,
or
create
funny
memes
or
viral
videos
parodying
a
gaffe.
What’s
more
disconcerting
is
the
seamless
manner
in
which
Artificial
Intelligence-powered
tools
have
steadily
taken
hold
of
our
daily
lives,
a
dependency
none
of
us
can
deny
or
escape.
Vikramaditya
Motwane’s
riveting,
masterful
CTRL,
penned
by
Avinash
Sampath,
uses
this
prevailing
landscape
of
handy
Apps
and
manipulative
tech
to
craft
a
cautionary
thriller
about
a
pair
of
influencers
caught
in
its
grasp.
Motwane’s
cynical
probe
into
the
grim
realities
of
online
existence
evokes
Black
Mirror‘s
tech-fuelled
dystopia,
something
Dibakar
Banerjee’s
Love
Sex
Dhoka
sequel
attempted
as
well
in
his
paranoid
anthology.
CTRL
is
gentler
in
its
explorations
and
carries
echoes
of
Eternal
Sunshine
of
the
Spotless
Mind‘s
heartbreaking
impulses
in
Nella
(Ananya
Panday)
and
Joe’s
(Vihaan
Samat)
journey
from
couple
goals
to
Ctrl+Alt+Del.
Poster
Girl
of
Gen
Z
world
and
woes,
Ananya
bares
her
vulnerability
before
the
camera
from
all
possible
angles,
never
once
conscious
of
the
unflattering
closeups,
in
a
performance
that
looks
her
back
in
the
face
while
curled
up
in
a
corner.
She’s
done
proving.
It’s
time
to
take
the
acting
adventure,
heads
on,
girl.
Vihaan’s
outbursts
are
the
action
scenes
of
CTRL.
The
clarity
in
his
discontentment
as
well
as
the
integrity
he
conveys
even
when
in
the
wrong
says
a
promising
lot
about
him.
Only
recently
the
duo
portrayed
a
young
marriage
gone
kaput
in
the
TV
series
Call
Me
Bae,
which
makes
their
lived-in
chemistry
as
young
people
dating
each
other
since
first
year
of
college
all
the
more
credible.
Active
consumers
of
the
social
media
circuit
will
vouch
for
the
authenticity
of
Nella
and
Joe’s
VBlog
shenanigans
as
well
as
the
blitzkrieg
of
hearts
and
heart-eyed
emoticons
they
are
showered
with.
Tech
Tuesdays
with
Uncle
Nellesh
are
the
best.
But
a
certain
‘minty_2414’
predicts
it
will
all
go
bust
and
that’s
exactly
what
happens
when
Nella
catches
Joe
fooling
around
in
public
view,
triggering
a
public
meltdown.
The
screenplay
just
goes
kapow
capturing
her
distress
—
trolls
treating
women
as
soft
targets
as
usual,
fresh
fish
to
fry
mentality
of
standup
comics,
a
disgruntled
boyfriend
expressing
his
disapproval
for
the
‘public
consumption’
aspect
of
their
private
relationship
or
Nella’s
rap-sized
retaliation
conjuring
MTV-era
videos
and
aesthetic.
The
geeks
behind
CTRL‘s
on
screen
wizardry
have
a
ball
giving
these
turn
of
events
a
gut-punching
authenticity
before
revealing
the
star
of
its
show,
Allen
(voiced
by
a
frighteningly
authentic
Aparshakti
Khurrana),
a
AI-enabled
assistant,
kind
of
like
a
BonziBuddy
(1990s
kids
will
know)
capable
of
far
more
lethal
mischief,
offering
to
erase
Joe’s
unwanted
presence
from
Nella’s
heart
and
hard
drive.
Outside
the
virtual
world,
there
are
graver
issues
at
large,
which
come
to
light
after
Nella
learns
Joe’s
gone
missing.
What
starts
out
as
a
satire
about
a
generation
obsessed
with
posturing
and
the
ridiculous
nature
of
instantaneous
celebrity
transforms
into
a
sci-fi
thriller
of
whistleblowing
pursuits
and
corporate
data
theft.
Aside
from
the
fear
of
impending
doom
when
AI
gains
absolute
foothold,
Vikramaditya
Motwane
deeply
sympathises
with
the
unseen
isolation
of
broadcasted
lives.
Motwane
and
wife
Ishika
making
several
thumbnail-sized
cameos
(you
might
spot
their
pal
Anurag
Kashyap
too)
as
part
of
CTRL‘s
animated
interface,
has
the
visuals
and
its
homegrown
texture
down
pat.
But
the
real
tech-savviness
of
his
screenlife
format,
where
the
storytelling
unfolds
entirely
on
computer
and
cell
phone
screens,
shows
in
how
he
builds
nail-biting
moments
over
scenes
of
password
recovery
and
sneaky
virtual
assistants.
That
constant
feeling
of
being
heard,
seen,
traced
and
tracked,
whenever
a
subject
of
search
or
discussion
is
caught
on
by
an
algorithm
to
throw
up
ads
and
offers,
is
conspicuous
throughout
the
course
of
CTRL‘s
claustrophobic
captivity.
I
would
recommend
watching
it
on
a
computer
for
an
eerie,
immersive,
real-time
experience.
It’s
a
small
world
and
we
all
became
its
pitiful,
pathetic
prisoners
by
choice
the
moment
we
ticked
I
Agree.
CTRL
streams
on
Netflix.
CTRL
Review
Rediff
Rating:
