# Ground Zero (2025 film)
**Ground Zero** is a 2025 Indian Hindi-language action film directed by Tejas Prabha Vijay Deoskar and starring [Emraan Hashmi](https://www.edgepedia.org/emraan-hashmi) as [Border Security Force](https://www.edgepedia.org/border-security-force) (BSF) officer [Narendra Nath Dhar Dubey](https://www.edgepedia.org/narendra-nath-dhar-dubey), whose two-year investigation after the 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament leads to the killing of Ghazi Baba, the Jaish-e-Mohammad chief identified as the attack's mastermind.[1](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/ground-zero/umc.cmc.4ui4636nbkvqpilgunbjdlj76) It was produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar for Excel Entertainment and released in Indian theaters on 25 April 2025.[2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAdc62oGzW8) • [3](https://www.district.in/movies/ground-zero-movie-tickets-MV194131)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director | Tejas Prabha Vijay Deoskar, known for work in Marathi and Hindi cinema[1](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/ground-zero/umc.cmc.4ui4636nbkvqpilgunbjdlj76) • [4](https://www.iffigoa.org/public/pdfs/catalogue/Catalogue.pdf) |
| Lead cast | Emraan Hashmi (Narendra Nath Dhar Dubey), Sai Tamhankar (Jaya Dubey), Zoya Hussain (Aadila), Rockey Raina (Ghazi Baba)[1](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/ground-zero/umc.cmc.4ui4636nbkvqpilgunbjdlj76) |
| Writers | Sanchit Gupta and Priyadarshee Srivastava[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28377588/fullcredits/) |
| Release | 25 April 2025, in Hindi, produced by Excel Entertainment[3](https://www.district.in/movies/ground-zero-movie-tickets-MV194131) • [2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAdc62oGzW8) |
| Audience rating | 6.6/10 on IMDb from about 7,200 votes[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28377588/) |
| Streaming | Available on Amazon Prime Video[7](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/ground-zero-2025) |
| Certification | UA from the CBFC, with one profane word muted[8](https://cbfc.watch/film/ground-zero-2024) |
## Spoilers
### Story and basis
The film is inspired by real events surrounding BSF officer Narendra Nath Dhar Dubey. After the 2001 Parliament attack, Dubey leads an investigation into a local gang shooting soldiers in public spaces in Kashmir; an intercepted call reveals that Ghazi Baba, the Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist who masterminded the Parliament attack, may be behind the gang. The manhunt proceeds amid bureaucratic pressures while the film maintains what reviewers described as a humane lens on the Kashmir question.[9](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/hindi/review/2025/Apr/26/ground-zero-movie-review-pahalgam-attack-imparts-urgency-to-an-otherwise-templated-kashmir-story) • [10](https://pynr.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/26-VJA-12-PAGES-PDF.compressed.pdf) The Apple TV synopsis describes the outcome as the encounter of Ghazi Baba, enabling what it calls India's most successful counter-terrorism operation in history.[1](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/ground-zero/umc.cmc.4ui4636nbkvqpilgunbjdlj76)
## Production
[Excel Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/excel-entertainment) presented the film, with Ritesh Sidhwani and [Farhan Akhtar](https://www.edgepedia.org/farhan-akhtar) as producers and Talisman Films as co-producer. Kamaljeet Negi was the director of photography, the music was composed by [Tanishk Bagchi](https://www.edgepedia.org/tanishk-bagchi), Rohan Rohan, and Sunny Inder, and the background score was by John Stewart Eduri.[2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAdc62oGzW8) The official trailer was published on 7 April 2025 and had accumulated over 36 million views.[2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAdc62oGzW8)
Reported runtimes differ across databases: Apple TV lists 2 hours 14 minutes,[1](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/ground-zero/umc.cmc.4ui4636nbkvqpilgunbjdlj76) [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch) lists 2 hours 17 minutes,[7](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/ground-zero-2025) and Rotten Tomatoes lists 1 hour 39 minutes.[11](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ground_zero_2025)
## Release and reception
The film opened in Indian cinemas on 25 April 2025, days after the Pahalgam terrorist attack in Kashmir, which reviewers said gave the release an unexpected urgency.[3](https://www.district.in/movies/ground-zero-movie-tickets-MV194131) • [9](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/hindi/review/2025/Apr/26/ground-zero-movie-review-pahalgam-attack-imparts-urgency-to-an-otherwise-templated-kashmir-story) The trade paper Film Information reported a dull opening, and director Tejas Deoskar later described the box office response as lukewarm, saying he had wanted to make a realistic movie.[12](https://filminformation.com/featured/ground-zero-review-25-april-2025/) • [13](https://www.hindustantimes.com/htcity/cinema/ground-zero-director-tejas-deoskar-on-lukewarm-box-office-response-to-emraan-hashmi-film-wanted-to-make-realistic-movie-101747371576083.html)
**Critical response** was mixed to positive. Most reviewers commended the grounded portrayal of a real-life BSF officer and Hashmi's restrained, committed performance, while some critics felt the film fell short of emotional depth and narrative tightness.[14](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/29529/ground-zero/) Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave it 2.5 out of 5, writing that Hashmi toned down the dialoguing to make it sound conversational but that a tighter film would have been better.[11](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ground_zero_2025) Devesh Sharma of Filmfare gave 3.5 out of 5, calling it a tribute to the unsung warriors of a pivotal military operation.[11](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ground_zero_2025) The Cinema Express review rated it 2.5 out of 5 and noted that the film's politics stood out: rather than an opportunistic approach, it was sensitive and humane, with Dubey befriending a young Kashmiri who tried to kill him, though the reviewer found the balancing act at times underlined and corny.[9](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/hindi/review/2025/Apr/26/ground-zero-movie-review-pahalgam-attack-imparts-urgency-to-an-otherwise-templated-kashmir-story) Rohan Naahar, writing in [The Indian Express](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-indian-express), praised the film for painting Kashmir as a land and [Kashmiris](https://www.edgepedia.org/kashmiris) as a people to be won over with kindness, compassion, and bravery rather than tamed.[15](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/ground-zero-emraan-hashmi-antiwar-movie-not-possible-in-india-10085150/)
On IMDb the film holds a 6.6/10 rating from about 7,200 users.[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28377588/) After its theatrical run it became available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.[7](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/ground-zero-2025)
## References
1. [Ground Zero, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/ground-zero/umc.cmc.4ui4636nbkvqpilgunbjdlj76)
2. [Ground Zero | Official Trailer, Excel Movies, YouTube (7 April 2025)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAdc62oGzW8)
3. [Ground Zero (2025), District](https://www.district.in/movies/ground-zero-movie-tickets-MV194131)
4. [IFF Goa catalogue entry for Ground Zero](https://www.iffigoa.org/public/pdfs/catalogue/Catalogue.pdf)
5. [Ground Zero (2025) full cast and crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28377588/fullcredits/)
6. [Ground Zero (2025), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28377588/)
7. [Ground Zero streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/ground-zero-2025)
8. [GROUND ZERO, CBFC Watch](https://cbfc.watch/film/ground-zero-2024)
9. [Ground Zero Movie Review, Cinema Express (26 April 2025)](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/hindi/review/2025/Apr/26/ground-zero-movie-review-pahalgam-attack-imparts-urgency-to-an-otherwise-templated-kashmir-story)
10. [The Pioneer review (26 April 2025)](https://pynr.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/26-VJA-12-PAGES-PDF.compressed.pdf)
11. [Ground Zero (2025), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ground_zero_2025)
12. ['Ground Zero' Review, Film Information (25 April 2025)](https://filminformation.com/featured/ground-zero-review-25-april-2025/)
13. [Director Tejas Deoskar on lukewarm box office response of Ground Zero, Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/htcity/cinema/ground-zero-director-tejas-deoskar-on-lukewarm-box-office-response-to-emraan-hashmi-film-wanted-to-make-realistic-movie-101747371576083.html)
14. [Ground Zero reviews, Nowrunning](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/29529/ground-zero/)
15. [Ground Zero: Post Credits Scene, The Indian Express (25 June 2025)](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/ground-zero-emraan-hashmi-antiwar-movie-not-possible-in-india-10085150/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Hindi films of the 2020s › Hindi films of 2024*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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