Vikramaditya Motwane’s next film cyber-thriller film CTRL starring Ananya Panday explores the question: in a world where data is power, how much of ourselves should we share online, and what happens when we lose control of that information? The trailer gives a glimpse of an influencer couple where upon their breakup, the girl erases her ex boyfriend’s digital existence with the use of AI. While it’s being hailed for its genre-defining novelty, many have been comparing essence of the plot of CTRL with that of the 2004 film, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind.
In Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind starring Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey, a film ahead of its time, two individuals undergo a memory erasure procedure to forget each other after their break-up. In an exclusive chat with News18 Showsha, Vikramaditya reacts to these comparisons and states that CTRL may remind the audience of Joaquin Phoenix starrer Her as well. “The moment we wrote the film, we knew that they’re going to ask us about Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. But we’re fine with it [the comparisons]. There’s also a little bit of Her in it,” he tells us.
But though Vikramaditya calls the Michel Gondry film an inspiration in his journey as a filmmaker, he points out that the two films are different in their substance. “I’ve been generally influenced by that film. It’s a wonderful film. There’s something about the writing of that film, which is fantastic. The direction and the acting are incredible. It’s, undoubtedly, a masterpiece of our modern times. But CTRL isn’t that,” he explains.
Referring to CTRL as a film laden with ‘topicality’ that sheds light on the dark side of social media, he elaborates, “It’s all about – how much sharing is too much sharing and the dopamine hits likes and favourites give you. It’s about how much you end up doing for social media. It’s like a doomsday scenario and it’s not impossible to believe this. I’ve a feeling that after 15-20 years, we’re going to start looking at social media as they look at smoking. There’s a lot that’s okay with it but it also does a lot of harm to teenagers, younger minds and even adults.”
And going forward, Vikramaditya believes, CTRL will become even more relevant. The Jubilee and Udaan maker remarks, “If your entire life is based on the fact that your validation comes from outside and not inside, those are questions that need to be asked. CTRL comes from a lot of questions that we generally have been asking around – about influencing, the internet, your own memories on the internet, how much you put out there, how much of it you want to control and how much of it is actually in your control. A lot of things came together in this film.”
CTRL is all set to premiere on Netflix on October 4.
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