Ground Zero, Review: Found Hero

Ground Zero, Review: Found Hero

Kashmir. The paradise on earth. The powder keg. The subject of a dozen films made in the last few years. Terror attacks launched by Pakistani infiltrators, or locals recruited by handlers, and Indian armed personnel targetted. Sometimes, civilians are among the casualties. Sometimes only civilians are killed. India’s Border Security Force (BSF) and the local police retaliate. Perpetrators are often found and eliminated. Their ‘handlers’ are seldom caught. More attacks follow.

Kashmir has become a land where uniformed Indian forces are present everywhere, causing fear among the locals, the overwhelming majority of whom condemn the terrorist attacks. Children are escorted to school in buses with an armed guard on board, carrying a Kalashnikov. When they name their film Ground Zero, the makers are referring to Kashmir. The term Ground Zero primarily refers to the point on the earth's surface where a nuclear explosion occurs, or the site of the World Trade Center in New York City, after the September 11 attacks. It can also be used metaphorically, to describe the very beginning of a process or activity. So it is a metaphor here. It is not a term everybody understands, and that itself might keep some audiences away. For the benefit of those who are planning to see the film, here is a review, a review that laments the film as a Paradise Lost.

A bio-pic about N.N.D. Dubey, Second in Command, of the BSF, the film concentrates only on his posting in Kashmir and his efforts to win the hearts of the locals led astray, simultaneously tracing the handlers and masterminds. It has a James Bond style beginning, with the Dubey carrying out an operation in one part of Kashmir, while terror strikes in the area of his base station. He is sent for, “I want my best man back.” So, after finishing the operation, Dubey returns to his base. A BSF soldier has been killed by a pistol gang, in a bustling bazaar, and the authorities fear more such attacks. As feared, more attacks take place. Dubey acts as bait and wanders around, presenting himself as an easy target. Sure enough, he suddenly finds a young man, Hussain, behind him, pointing his pistol at his head. He overpowers the lad, and takes him in for interrogation.

Dubey realises that Hussain is reluctant recruit, and makes him turned informer. Visiting his home, he sees that his family lives in poverty, and agreed to carry out the killing in return of Rs. 5,000. His handler told him that, in case he died during the attempt, his family would get Rs. 50,000. He also notices that most of the attacks occur between 4 and 5 pm, Monday to Friday. He concludes that students of three colleges that function Monday to Friday, closing at 3 pm, might be the recruitment ground, and some of these students might be carrying out the attacks after college hours. Dubey doubles the BSF presence at each of these colleges. Meanwhile, Hussain leads him to a doctor, called HakeemSaahab, who treats the attackers, should they suffer injuries during their escape. They, for obvious reasons, cannot go to public or private hospitals. As instructed, he plants a transmitter in the doctor’s medicine box, which is monitored by Dubey and his colleagues, who believe that sooner or later, the transmissions would lead them to the terror master-mind, Ghazi Baba.

Based on Operation Ghazi Baba (Official records? A book?) and written by Sanchit Gupta and Priyadarshee Srivastava, the film focusses on the elimination of Ghazi Baba, real name Rana Tahir Nadeem, who was a terrorist belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammed, and the militant group Harkat-ul-Ansar. He was known to have masterminded the 2001 Indian Parliament attack on 13 December 2001. Ghazi was also involved in two car blasts at the Army headquarters in Srinagar, on 19 April 2000 and 25 December 2000, and in the Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly car bombing, of 1 October 2001. In August 2003, Ghazi Baba was killed in an operation conducted by Border Security Force (BSF) in Srinagar, led by Commandant N.N.D. Dubey. Dubey was hounoured with the Kirti Chakra, the second highest military honour, in 2005.

There are pivots on which the story hangs: the real incidents, the partially real incidents, dramatised for film suitability and the scenes completely imaginary, that try to bridge the gaps in the reality, for the sake of continuity and cinematic effect. One cannot comment about any scene, not knowing which approach has been used. However, it is clear that there are gaping holes in the narrative. Again, whether these were not shot at all, or not used in the final version or excised by the Central Board of Film Certification, only the concerned parties would know. Ground Zero takes pains to show the human side of this ready-to-be-martyred daredevil, including scenes with his wife and children. But all these are concentrated in the time span of the years 2000-2003. It is interesting to hear dialogue from a Pakistani mastermind that even they have “informers” just like Hussain, who is the Indian mole, and that they have issued the death warrant of Hussain. Two scenes of Dubey and his family stand out: first, when their daughter refuses to board a school bus, because she is afraid of the gun carried by the armed escort and second, when she literally lambasts the press when they question Dubey about very sensitive matters, involving military operations. The latter almost goes over-board, but touches our chords.

Shootings and encounters, bullets sprayed in thousand numbers and bomb blasts are the order of the day. Body parts are not only strewn around, we see BSF jawans and Dubey picking us badly burnt pieces of flesh and put them in a bag, so that the martyred can get a decent burial. This is adult fare, and children below 16 should not be exposed to such gore. It is refreshing to see a Commandant talk of winning the hearts of the Kashmiris, rather than shooting impressionable youth you are brainwashed to join the Pistol Gang that is trained to pump a single bullet in the head of any jawan they can get close to. As he rightly says, “Kashmir, as a land mass, is ours. But are all Kashmiris with us? Peace will set in only when we have won the hearts and minds of the local population. How long will they live in constant fear of shootouts, anywhere, including bustling market places?” But his higher ups are not too happy with him for his stand. The intelligence failure of his team is blamed for the attacks on Parliament, Akshardham and Zaveri Bazaar (in Mumbai). They ask him to stick to his duty as a Commandant, and stop sleuthing and spying, to gain intelligence, leaving that to the Government’s Intelligence Bureau (IB).

Unfolding like chapters or episodes from TV serials, the film sandwiches terrorist attacks between the non-action narrative. It is an uneasy compromise. Director Tejas Prabha Vijay Deoskar (Chhatriwali, ZEE 5) works, both in Marathi and Hindi films. He directed Madhuri Dixit’s Marathi debut film, Bucket List and has now cast Sai Tamhankar (Love Sonia), as Dubey’s wife, Jaya, in Ground Zero. The film seems to be favouring the hero with a series of rejections, only to emerge the victor at the end. While this is ploy--being pulled-up by his superiors first, then being warned, then being suspended, then threatened with a transfer and lastly, being informed that he will be court-martialled, on account of being unable to prove who and where is Ghazi Baba—it is an arithmetical progression, while his revolt at the last stage, by raiding the arms depot, arming himself to the teeth and deciding to go after Ghazi Baba solo is a truly heroic moment in the film, but predictable, on account of his reactions at previous run-ins.

Most Hindustani films with the conflict in Kashmir at core, show just two angles: the training and barbarism of the handlers and their commanders, and the responses by Indian soldiers. In Ground Zero, the writers and directors have added a third dimension: showcasing the humane side of military men and the attempts of a few to win their hearts, while settling scores with their Masters. Perhaps it was singular aspect of Dubey’s biography that led the makers to make a film on him, in the first place. They could have easily made another pot-boiler, with the good (Indians) battling the bad (Pakistani terrorists and their Kashmiri stooges).

Casting of the husband and wife might turn out to be a negative factor. It will take some believing that marathon ‘kisser’ and lover boy Emraan Hashmi is Dubey, and 38 year-old Sai Tamhankar his wife. Though both have put in tons of hard work, it will be difficult for mass audiences. 46-year-old Hashmi has done the odd film outside his stereo-typed zone, and is yet haunted by earlier outings as a hot, passionate young man. In this film, his gait and demeanour are exactly what would be expected of the rank he holds. Sai, a veteran in Marathi films and TV serials, has not had much exposure to the Hindustani audience, and will have to transcend this unfamiliarity on the weight of the total impact of the film. Mukesh Sharma impresses as the hard-boiled boss of Dubey, Commanding Officer Sanjiv Sharma, while Zoya Hussain, in a poorly defined role, as Aadila, still manages to make her mark. Mir Mehrooz as Hussain is a sincere, completely credible performance. In a small role, Qazi Faiz as the really old Hakeem is totally in character, with his get-up and mannerisms in tandem with his acting. Deepak Paramesh as Dubey’s Deputy Binu Ramchandra, uses his accent to his advantage, to go with a name like that.

Though there is some real footage of the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he is later played by an actor, similar looking Ram Avtaar. Amit Ghosh appears in the first few scenes of the film, as the lovable jawan, who is the first, in the film, to be shot dead, by the pistol gang. The rest of the cast comprises Lalit Prabhakar as Praveen, Rockey Raina as Ghazi Baba, Rahul Vohra as Dhyaan, Ekluvya Tomer as Chand Khan (just one long scene, enough to make you take notice), Punit Tiwari as Tariq Malik, Imran Farooq as ACP Hamid (J&K), Syed Aqib Shah as Ansar and Krishna Sharma as Rishi. Contributing the music track are Score by John Stewart Eduri and four songs by Tanishk Bagchi, Rohan-Rohan and Sunny Inder. The background score serves to complement the visuals, while the songs capture the moods and sentiments. That aid, one does not easily recall songs in a film which has so much of gunfire and explosions. Shooting a military action film can be dicey, with so many gun-toters, explosive laden cars, individual killings and encounters. Details are hard to catch up with, and cinematographer Kamaljeet Negi

Is up to it. It would be presumptuous to blame the editor, Chandrashekhar Prajapati, for what appear as hiatuses in the narrative and its chapter-like structure, which sometimes works against the flow of the film. In fact, one feels that the film would work better if it was a little shorter.

Ground Zero is a film about the burning issue of Kashmir and the conflict between India and Pakistan over the territory. Yet, it is not jingoistic and ultra-nationalistic. Amidst so many films baying for the blood of Pakistanis, this one strikes a sober note, without compromising on its patriotic thrust. Those who feel that it is wrong to punish young lads who are recruited as puppets by terror-mongers, and India should aim at eliminating the puppeteers, now have Narendra Nath Dhar (N.N.D.) Dubey, who rises from Ground Zero to become a true hero. The film could have been better written and directed, but it has taken on so many challenges that it might just be worth a viewing.

Rating: ** ½

Trailer: https://youtu.be/oAdc62oGzW8