3-Character Trio Cast 6 - 9 Minutes Sci-Fi/High-Concept
Prototype 9
Full Shooting Script in Industry Courier Monospace Format
FADE IN:
INT. GARAGE-LAB - NIGHT
Ek compact garage-lab. Cool fluorescent tubes. Workbench par PROTOTYPE 9 device se blue glow. Shelves par cables, circuit boards, old tools. Laptop open. Soldering iron garam.
DR. PRANAV MEHTA (44), lab coat over casual shirt, tired eyes, ink-stained fingers, device ke screws tighten kar raha hai.
ESHAN MEHTA (19), hoodie, wired earbuds, skeptical expression, doorway par khada.
RITESH (38), polished suit, expensive watch, unnervingly polite smile, lab ko jaise museum samajh raha hai.
RITESH
Nice setup. Thoda... scrapyard, thoda sci-fi.
ESHAN
Matlab exactly papa ki company.
Pranav ghoorta hai. Eshan shoulder shrug karta hai.
PRANAV
Aaj jokes kam. Time kam hai.
RITESH
Main yahan time hi dekhne aaya hoon, Doctor.
Pranav prototype device par haath rakhta hai.
PRANAV
Prototype 9. Last ten minutes of memory replay.
Ek person jo yaad kare, machine woh dikha degi.
Proof.
ESHAN
Ya hallucination with LEDs.
PRANAV
Eshan.
ESHAN
Kya? Main bas honest hoon.
Ritesh smile karta hai.
RITESH
Honesty rare hoti hai. Investor log uske liye hi paise dete hain.
ESHAN
Investor log paise dene se pehle soul demand karte hain.
Ritesh ka smile same rehta hai.
RITESH
Good. Aap sharp ho.
Pranav laptop screen check karta hai.
PRANAV
Battery stable. Memory drive synced.
Bas ek demo.
ESHAN
Aur agar phat gaya toh?
PRANAV
Toh hum sab free mein future dekh lenge.
Eshan snorts. Ritesh device ke paas aata hai.
RITESH
Main first test kar leta hoon.
PRANAV
Sure.
Pranav hand sensor activate karta hai. Blue glow intensifies.
PRANAV (CONT'D)
Last ten minutes. Bas yaad kariye.
Ritesh haath device par rakhta hai.
DEVICE HUMS. Laptop screen par waveform. Blue light flicker.
CUT TO:
ON LAPTOP SCREEN - MEMORY REPLAY
Conference room jaisa visual. Ritesh aur Pranav handshake kar rahe hain.
PRANAV (V.O.)
Aapne kaha tha... fund karenge.
RITESH (V.O.)
Breakthrough hai, Doctor. We’re in.
BACK TO SCENE
Pranav ka face bright ho jata hai.
PRANAV
Dekha?
It’s working.
ESHAN
Wait... mere screen par kuch aur dikh raha hai.
Ritesh aankh nahi jhapakta.
RITESH
Interesting.
PRANAV
Kya?
RITESH
Mere version mein... main aapko expose karne aaya tha.
Silence.
PRANAV
Kya bakwaas kar rahe ho?
RITESH
Main polite hoon, Doctor. Bakwaas kam karta hoon.
Eshan device ko suspiciously dekhta hai.
ESHAN
Dad, ye machine ya toh genius hai ya scam.
PRANAV
Dono nahi.
Bas... accurate.
ESHAN
Papa, aapke projects ka ye line-up pehle bhi suna hai.
Pranav hurt hota hai.
PRANAV
Eshan, bas ek test.
ESHAN
Haan, aur phir ek failure.
Ritesh politely clears throat.
RITESH
Main second test dekhna chahunga.
Pranav nods to Eshan.
PRANAV
Tum.
ESHAN
No.
PRANAV
Eshan.
ESHAN
Fine. But agar mere dimaag mein aapka guilt dikha toh main invoice bhej dunga.
Eshan device par haath rakhta hai.
PRANAV
Last ten minutes. Socho.
DEVICE HUMS LOUDER.
CUT TO:
ON LAPTOP SCREEN - MEMORY REPLAY
Eshan school ke bahar khada hai. Rainy street. Pranav car mein aata hai.
PRANAV (V.O.)
Main late hoon, par aa raha hoon.
Eshan ki aankhen screen par.
ESHAN (V.O.)
Papa...
BACK TO SCENE
Eshan ka throat tight.
ESHAN
Main... yaad hai.
Pranav screen par apni version dekh raha hai—same memory, but Eshan ka message missing, silence heavy.
PRANAV
Nahi.
Main yaad kar raha hoon, tumne kabhi reply hi nahi kiya.
ESHAN
Kya?
PRANAV
Tum hamesha door the.
Ritesh ek step peeche.
RITESH
Hm.
Pranav laptop kholkar logs check karta hai.
PRANAV
Signal clean hai...
Wait.
Woh code lines scroll karta hai. Eyes widen.
PRANAV (CONT'D)
Oh no.
ESHAN
Kya?
Pranav screen par point karta hai.
PRANAV
Ye replay nahi kar raha.
Ye render kar raha hai.
RITESH
English mein?
PRANAV
Ye memory nahi dikhata.
Ye version dikhata hai.
Jo aap believe karna chahte ho.
Silence.
ESHAN
Matlab?
PRANAV
Matlab jo apni innocence dekhna chahta hai, woh innocence dekhega.
Jo apna betrayal confirm karna chahta hai, usse betrayal milega.
Jo guilt se bhaagna chahta hai...
RITESH
...woh apni clean image dekh lega.
Pranav nods, devastated.
PRANAV
Haan.
Eshan slowly device se hat-ta hai.
ESHAN
Toh sach?
PRANAV
Sach... missing feature hai.
Ritesh ka polite smile finally sharpened.
RITESH
Doctor, aapne ek brilliant product banaya hai.
Therapy, politics, interrogation...
Market huge hai.
ESHAN
Aapko invention nahi chahiye.
Addiction chahiye.
Ritesh turns to him.
RITESH
Young man, world runs on convenient reality.
ESHAN
Isliye world messed up hai.
Pranav looks at the prototype. Decision time.
PRANAV
Nahi.
He yanks the cable from laptop.
RITESH
Doctor—
Pranav grabs the MEMORY DRIVE.
PRANAV
Bas.
He places it under the soldering iron.
SIZZLE. Blue light flickers.
ESHAN
Dad!
PRANAV
Truth dikhana aasaan hota hai, Eshan.
Truth sehna nahi.
Memory drive melts. Prototype screen dies.
Ritesh’s face hardens for the first time.
RITESH
You just destroyed a billion-dollar future.
Pranav exhales, exhausted.
PRANAV
Nahi.
Maine jhooth ka future destroy kiya.
Eshan looks at his father, then the dead device.
ESHAN
Toh ab?
Pranav gives a tired half-smile.
PRANAV
Ab hum real memory banaenge.
Ritesh adjusts his watch, regaining composure.
RITESH
Very poetic.
But useless.
ESHAN
Better than profitable.
A beat.
The lab is quiet except fluorescent buzz.
PRANAV
Ritesh... aapko jo dikhna tha, woh dikh gaya.
RITESH
Aur aapko?
PRANAV
Mujhe meri sabse badi galti.
Ritesh’s smile returns, thin and unreadable.
RITESH
फिर भी, Doctor... impressive.
He heads to the door.
ESHAN
Aap kahin nahi ja rahe?
Ritesh pauses, turns.
RITESH
Main? Main toh bas apni version le kar jaa raha hoon.
He exits.
Silence.
Eshan nikaal deta hai apne earbuds.
ESHAN
Dad...
PRANAV
Hm?
ESHAN
Agar machine sach nahi dikha rahi thi...
toh jo main dekh raha tha, woh kya tha?
Pranav looks at the dead prototype.
PRANAV
Jo tum sabse zyada maante ho.
Eshan absorbs that.
FADE OUT.
THE END
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