Ground
Zero is
a
respectful
biopic
but
a
story
like
this
needed
more
heart
to
make
an
actual
impact,
feels
Mayur
Sanap.
Given
Bollywood’s
penchant
for
military
biopics,
it
is
difficult
to
expect
anything
fresh
in
this
genre.
Ground
Zero,
which
puts
Emraan
Hashmi
in
uniform,
has
the
same-old
cocktail
of
hero
and
heroics
while
depicting
an
important
military
operation.
He
plays
Border
Security
Force
(BSF)
commandant
and
Kirti
Chakra
awardee
Narendra
Nath
Dhar
Dubey,
who
led
the
2003
operation
to
eliminate
the
terrorist
Ghazi
Baba
in
Kashmir.
But
this
film
cannot
be
viewed
in
isolation
after
what
happened
in
Pahalgam.
To
its
credit,
the
film
stays
clear
of
any
overt
political
statements
or
jingoistic
grandstanding,
which
makes
you
appreciate
its
level-headed
approach
a
bit
more.
The
story
follows
the
manhunt
for
Ghazi
Baba,
right
from
the
events
of
the
2001
Parliament
attack
to
his
eventual
death
at
the
hands
of
BSF
soldiers.
The
premise
is
exciting
but
not
particularly
novel,
so
the
bigger
challenge
is
how
to
keep
viewers
on
the
edge
of
their
seat
when
the
eventual
result
is
already
known
to
the
world.
Director
Tejas
Deoskar
goes
with
an
approach
of
fact-based
thriller
that
offers
the
military
spectacle
while
also
delving
into
the
personal
side
of
a
solider.
The
action
blocks
are
pretty
sleek
but
the
drama
moments
don’t
land
that
well.
Writers
Sanchit
Gupta
and
Priyadarshee
Srivastava
devise
a
tale
of
patriotic
valour
by
taking
a
soldier’s
point
of
view
of
the
unfolding
events
and
the
psychological
toll
of
such
a
high-stake
job.
The
film
is
undeniably
reverent
of
the
real-life
hero
but
it
moves
with
such
a
mechanical
efficiency
that
keeps
you
emotionally
distant
despite
a
very
earnest
Emraan
Hashmi.
‘Hame
logo
ko
darana
nahi
hain,
unhe
saath
lekar
aana
hain,’
he
says
at
one
point
that
showcases
his
faith
in
the
local
people.
He
befriends
a
Kashmiri
teenager,
who
becomes
his
close
aid.
But
when
the
mission
goes
awry,
the
scene
depicting
his
guilt
and
remorse
doesn’t
hit
the
way
it
was
intended
to
be.
The
writing
is
too
simplistic
and
is
further
hurt
by
a
routine
script
that
evokes
the
been-there-seen-that
feeling.
As
a
result,
Emraan
also
suffers
in
a
one-note
character.
Sai
Tamhankar
repeats
her
homely
housewife
exterior
from
Agni but
here,
she
gets
a
solid
scene
where
she
responds
to
prickly
questions
thrown
at
her
husband.
But
unlike
her,
the
other
actors
just
meander
in
stock
characters
that
don’t
get
much
to
do.
For
all
its
right
intentions,
Ground
Zero is
a
respectful
biopic
but
a
story
like
this
needed
more
heart
to
make
an
actual
impact.
Ground
Zero
Review
Rediff
Rating:
