Memory Card

Plot: Fresh into a Mumbai college, Chetan is a shy youngster who keeps to himself. However, his classmate Swara makes it a point to talk to him and understand the reason behind his reserved nature. After some nudging, Chetan opens up to her.

Review: There have been ample discussions about the ill-effects of overuse of mobiles on youngsters. If not monitored properly, there is a fair chance of the youngsters either getting addicted to mobiles of having to face dire consequences of their actions. This is Memory Card’s basic premise, but there’s more.

The film can easily evaluated on basis of the first and second halves, individually. Until the interval, the film restricts its premise to the background and takes its sweet time to explore Chetan’s (Purohit) past. As he recollects his school memories to Swara (Paranjape), we are introduced to a budding teenage romance between him and his school sweetheart Ruhi (Kadam). The viewers are also informed that it is this romance coupled with jealously about a fellow schoolmate (who carries a mobile) that results in Chetan getting a mobile phone and ultimately falling prey to its ill-effects.

The second half is when Memory Card tries to clear the cache and amp up its processor. The youngsters' obsessions with mobiles is perfectly captured and so is the result. But, like a corrupt file, the film fails to recover, reason being the unclear focus. There is way too much time dedicated to the love story of Chetan and Ruhi and not that much to what ideally should’ve been the film’s focus as per its title.

Fortunately, the performances are good. Youngsters Reeshabh and Apurva show spark and with some training, they can make a mark. Sanjay Khapre as Chetan’s father is convincing too. The youngsters playing Chetan’s friends are a treat to watch and they own the scenes they are in.

All said and done, the actors alone can’t salvage a film that lacks execution. You can risk a watch if you love teenage love stories/ dramas.