CTRL trailer: Ananya Panday lets AI control her life to 'delete' her pain; fans see shades of Black Mirror

The trailer of Vikramaditya Motwane’s cyber thriller CTRL was unveiled on Wednesday morning by streaming giant Netflix. The film stars Ananya Panday as a young woman who relinquishes control of her life to artificial intelligence after a traumatic event. But this comes back to haunt her. (Also read: CTRL: Ananya Panday's thriller to arrive on Netflix in October. Watch teaser)

What is in CTRL trailer

The trailer introduces Ananya as Nella, who makes an account on a platform called CTRL. It allows an AI assistant to control your life and happiness. It is revealed that Nella is trying to escape a bad breakup where her boyfriend had cheated on her. She asks Ctrl to ‘remove’ her ex. And then she learns he has gone missing, which implies there are real-world implications of the AI’s meddling.

The trailer left many impressed with its unique and timely focus on social media obsession and the fear of AI. One fan commented, “This is all we want. Everything is perfect.” Another wrote, “Eagerly Waiting to watch it…Very Fresh and full of surprises this film is.”

However, many compared it to Black Mirror, the hit British dystopian sci-fi series that also focusses on the drawbacks of technology. “Black Mirror India,” read one comment.

Motwane and Ananya on CTRL

In a statement, director Vikramaditya Motwane said, “CTRL has been a totally unique journey for me and the team. It's told in what we call the screen life format, which is telling a story in an almost voyeuristic way using the tech that we use literally every single day. Our goal has been to create this incredible immersive experience, and Netflix as a platform has really helped us in reaching our global audience.”

Talking about her character and the film, Ananya Panday added, “My character Nella, is like any of us. She's caught up in a world dominated by technology and social media. CTRL explores how we navigate the fine line between our online presence and who we are in real life. Working with Vikram sir and Nikhil sir has been an incredible journey, and I can't wait for you to watch it on Netflix and uncover the connection between Nella and Allen.”

The trailer’s caption describes CTRL as ‘a cyber-thriller starring Ananya Panday and Vihaan Samat’. Directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, CTRL releases on 4 October, on Netflix.