Ground Zero

Based on true events, Ground Zero salutes our hero for their sacrifice and courage to keep our country safe.

While it was a tough ask, Emraan Hashmi did play his part with everything he had but the storytelling was a letdown. The film moves at an inconsistent pace and nothing leaves a major impact to your eyes. Although the cinematography and background music were decent, no scene felt hard hitting. There are a good number of intense sequences that provide thrills, yet there are also several dragged-out portions where the film's energy dips.

Overall, a decent attempt, I would say and it does work at some levels.

My Rating : 6/10.

Tejas Deoskar's "Ground Zero" is a perfectly decent counter-terrorism thriller that takes its sweet time getting to the good bits, though when it does, it rather makes up for the sluggish start. Based on true events involving BSF operations in Kashmir, the film delivers proper thrills once it stops faffing about with exposition.

Emraan Hashmi turns in a committed performance as a BSF officer, bringing his usual intensity whilst mercifully avoiding the chest-thumping heroics that plague most Indian military films. He's genuinely compelling when given decent material to work with, particularly as the story picks up steam in the latter half.

The film's biggest bugbear is its pacing. Deoskar seems hellbent on establishing every conceivable bit of backstory before getting to the actual story, which tests one's patience rather unnecessarily. The Kashmir setting feels authentic, and the supporting cast provides adequate backup without being particularly memorable.

Where "Ground Zero" truly comes alive is in its final act. The tension ratchets up considerably, and the action sequences feel authentic rather than choreographed for maximum spectacle. However, the film occasionally gets a bit preachy when it should have trusted its story to do the talking.

What's most refreshing is the film's restraint. It's genuinely surprising to see a military thriller that doesn't descend into flag-waving nationalism. Instead, Deoskar delivers a thoughtful examination of counter-terrorism work that respects both the complexity of the subject and the intelligence of the audience.

A decent thriller that could have been genuinely excellent with tighter editing and more faith in its own narrative strength. Worth sticking with, even if the first half tests your patience.

6.5/10.

This movie is inspired by the real-life Operation Ghazi Baba in Kashmir, delivers a tense and engaging military thriller. The film blends real facts with creative storytelling, keeping the narrative gripping from start to finish. The cinematography stands out, capturing the harsh yet beautiful landscapes and adding intensity to every frame.

Emraan Hashmi delivers a stunning performance, elevating the emotional and dramatic weight of the film. His portrayal makes the journey even more immersive. The writing is strong, with a steady pace that maintains the tension throughout.

However, despite its strengths, the movie doesn't bring something entirely new to the military thriller genre. Once it ends, you're left with the feeling that you've seen something similar before, without a particularly memorable hook to make you revisit it.

Overall, it is a fantastic, well-made thriller worth experiencing once-especially for its performances and execution.

There has been a steady rise in action military thrillers set in Kashmir in the last few years and at first glance Ground Zero appears to be just another run of the mill entry in the sub-genre. However Ground Zero which is based on the real life operation Ghazi Baba is a pretty gripping thriller closer in style and quality to the real life based political thriller Article 370 than a stylish and over the top big budget action flick like Fighter.

The story is solid, the screenplay is crisp and the acting is pretty good especially Eemran Hashmi who is not a well chiseled indestructible superhero who is dancing and romancing in his free time but a realistic, flawed and hard working BSF commandant focused on hunting down Ghazi Baba, the mastermind of the Indian Parliament Attack. The movie stays focused on the hunt with no distractions....no unnecessary songs and item numbers or side stories or romantic angles etc.

The final sequence has some shades of Zero Dark Thirty which is actually pretty well executed but right at the end, the action goes a bit over the top when Eemran's character finally faces off with Ghazi. Overall it was a pretty good watch and a well deserving tribute to the BSF soldiers who sacrificed themselves for the country. I liked it a lot. 7.5/10.

It seemed like the film was being shot keeping Zero Dark Thirty in mind. The story was pretty good and writing was to praise for. The only area that can steal the show is the cast and their performance. Emraan, though underrated, is a versatile actor and Sai is as usual perfect for the role. Other characters were also well casted. The movie was a bit fast paced and this left viewers to think more as they watched. Crux of the film was the climax and to arrive at that point, the surrounding story was well knitted and connected. Shootout to the actor who played the character of Hussian (Mehroos Mir). RT's tip: Make sure you watch the movie in a silent environment to experience it's true sound.