Even before hitting theatres, Emraan Hashmi's Ground Zero has made history. Directed by Tejas Prabha and Vijay Deoskar, the film became the first in 38 years to host a red carpet screening in Srinagar – a major milestone considering the region's cinematic past.
On the sidelines of this historic event, Emraan Hashmi spoke to NDTV and reflected on the violent disruptions of 1989 that led to cinema halls shutting down in Srinagar.
Expressing pride in Ground Zero's achievement, the actor said, “I think, with this, it is a message to people out there. Even now, there is a kind of perception, like you said about 1989, the tensions that started here – I think this is one of those small steps in kind of removing that perception.”
Sharing his experience of shooting in Srinagar, Emraan Hashmi added, “When we ourselves went back to Mumbai, we said that, you know, it was such a smooth sailing shoot in Srinagar. Wonderful people, we didn't have any issues over here — safety, you know, all the norms that are there. And over here, this is a big, big message out there to the entire country: that after 38 years, we had a red carpet event. It brings in that air of normalcy.”
“I would invite more film crews to come, do their screenings here and put their films out here. I wish more theatres would erupt here in Srinagar. It's going to help the country,” the actor added.
Produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar's Excel Entertainment, Ground Zero is inspired by true events. Apart from Emraan Hashmi, the movie also features Sai Tamhankar, Zoya Hussain, Mukesh Tiwari, Deepak Parmesh, Lalit Prabhakar, Rockey Raina, and Rahul Vohra in prominent roles.
If you have not marked your calendars yet — Ground Zero is scheduled to hit the big screens on April 25.
