Emraan Hashmi Says 'Kashmir Saw Such Turmoil' On Ground Zero’s Premieres in Srinagar

Emraan Hashmi's new film, "Ground Zero," premiered in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, on April 18th, marking the first red-carpet premiere in the city in 38 years. This event was a significant moment for the region, which has faced turmoil in recent years.

"Ground Zero" tells the story of BSF officer Narendra Nath Dhar Dubey, who led an operation in 2003 that resulted in the death of terrorist Ghazi Baba. Emraan Hashmi spoke exclusively to News18 Showsha before a tragic terrorist attack in Pahalgam on Tuesday.

It [Kashmir] is such a scenic and wonderful place with great people. It was dogged by the insurgency that was prevalent there in the late 90s and the early 2000s, which has been shown in our film also

- Emraan Hashmi

Emraan Hashmi, known for his roles in films like "Tiger 3" and "Showtime," believes the premiere of "Ground Zero" in Srinagar was a powerful statement about the unifying power of cinema. He hopes the event, which was attended by BSF jawans and officers, along with the film's cast and crew, helped to bring a sense of normalcy to the region. “In a cinema hall, it’s a communal viewing by people from different walks of life. When they go and enjoy a film, their experience sparks the same emotions. When the lights dim, you realise what a fantastic unifier it is," he said.

Emraan Hashmi also highlighted the importance of Bollywood embracing talent from diverse communities, welcoming actors and technicians from all walks of life. “It’s such a secular medium and our industry is so liberal in its mindset. It doesn’t really matter which state and city you come from. You’re just serving that creative spark and idea. We’ve people in our industry from all walks of life. It’s such a binding force," he said.

What was the reaction of the real-life BSF officer, Narendra Nath Dhar Dubey, whose life inspired the film "Ground Zero"? “He has seen the film twice. I saw it with him in Delhi in November last year. He loved it. He was there with his family. They came out and said that it way exceeded their expectations and it took them back to 2001. I wouldn’t say that he had reservations before but he wanted to know how it will play out. Sometimes, we end up making films jingoistic and over-the-top. I think that’s the fear he had. When he came on set on the first day of shoot, he said that he couldn’t gather anything because he isn’t a film man. But finally, when he watched it, he said that we did something amazing," exclaimed Emraan.