A Timely Release

Summer of 2025 started bloody and horrific for India - what transpired in Pahalgam left a lasting impact on all of us. 

Call it an ironic coincidence, but this movie on Kashmir insurgency released that very week. Inspired by a set of real events, Emraan Hashmi headlines as a uniformed officer of the BSF - India's paramilitary force (for those uninitiated).

Kashmir in the Early 2000s 

Ground Zero tries to present Kashmir the way it probably was in early 2000s - a rather violent phase in India's recent history when frequent terror attacks were common across its length and breadth. 

Although veiled references are made towards our not-so-friendly western neighbor — interestingly you do not see a single army/intelligence official from cross-border ‘instructing’ the primary antagonist, Ghazi Baba. Meh, is it even a war movie after all?

A Soldier’s Life Without Jingoism

Where Ground Zero breaks the mould is it shows the routine life of a trooper from a pragmatic lens. There is no needless jingoism or over-the-top patriotism — soldiers are shown doing their jobs in an objective and professional manner. 

Of course there is room for emotions and sentiment — those defending the borders are humans after all! But for them, duty comes first, last and everything in the middle.

No Postcards, Just Palpable Tension

Unlike a JTHJ or Fitoor or countless movies from yesteryears that were shot in Kashmir, Ground Zero is not a posterchild advertisement of its beauty. In fact, whatever little we get to see of Srinagar looks unappealing, barring the archetypal Dal Lake. 

Some scenes are decently gripping and do manage to showcase the palpable tension within the civilian populace of J&K. The movie even shows the fear of death a soldier lives by every day, however the acting effort feels labored and disjointed at times.

Not So Great Supporting Cast

Sai Tamhankar stars as Emraan’s jolly yet spirited wife — although she is woefully underused and perhaps could have been given a few more lines. Mukesh Tiwari (remember Vasooli bhai) barks orders without conviction and acts as a grade 1 toxic boss (asshole) that you can’t seem to get rid of but have to work for anyways (gotta pay the bills yeah). 

The head of IB (Rahul Vohra) appears to have a giant stick up his ass whenever he speaks — not sure why.

Tonal Inconsistencies

Coming to a few key aspects, dialogues and camerawork are shoddy in patches and fail to thread the story together. The script also breaks at certain phases in the movie — the protagonist casually shoots his informant and then offers him homemade halwa as a healing touch — I mean seriously? 

There is also an exchange that happens between an IB officer and the protagonist, but it feels more like a melodramatic lover’s spat rather than a professional disagreement.

Forgettable Soundtrack 

Lastly, I adore Emraan Hashmi chiefly because his movies have had THE BEST songs — but surprisingly the soundtrack of Ground Zero falls flat and is unremarkable at best. Not the comeback Sonu Nigam was hoping for. All in all, watch this once and forget it.