Emraan Hashmi's Ground Zero has made history by becoming the first film in 38 years to host a red-carpet screening in Srinagar. This marks a significant milestone, given the region's turbulent cinematic history. The violent unrest of 1989 had forced cinema halls in Srinagar to shut down.
Days before the tragic Pahalgam terror attack, the team of Ground Zero – including Emraan Hashmi, Sai Tamhankar, director Tejas Prabha Vijay Deoskar and co-producer Sandeep Sidhwani – sat down for a conversation with NDTV. They spoke about how the film's historic premiere brought a sense of normalcy and hope to the region.
Talking about Ground Zero's shoot and red carpet screening in Srinagar, Emraan Hashmi said, “It was a huge cultural event. It was quite historic. After 38 years, who would have thought a certain air of normalcy would come back in Srinagar? It is a region that has been clouded by perception and goes from the past. When we went for our shoot in Srinagar, safety norms and the entire shooting went smoothly. We did not have any issues there.”
“We wanted to have an event for the jawans, for the officers, for some of the locals over there. There were just smiles on their faces of a certain normalcy, that has come back to the city, of having a red carpet event, having people from the Hindi film industry come there and showcase their film,” the actor added.
Emraan Hashmi also spoke about the breathtaking beauty of Srinagar and shared that it truly deserves to be a “cinematic hub” for filmmakers.
The actor said, “It was a huge deal and I think this has the echoes of a message that we give out there that now it can be and should be a cultural and a cinematic hub where people can come shoot their movies because it has a spectacular location. It has got really scenic views to shoot in and also they should come and do more red carpet events and more theatres should come up in Srinagar so that we have more Hindi films or Hollywood films released there.”
Ground Zero's co-producer, Sandeep Sidhwani, also talked about Ground Zero's Srinagar screening.
He said, “The local people, now over there, feel welcome. They feel the warmth since Ground Zero has gone there and we had the premiere over there. It has changed the feeling for the people that they feel now that they are wanted. All this while that was not there. Now the normalcy is coming back over there.”
Ground Zero, released on April 25, has been bankrolled by Excel Entertainment.