Emraan Hashmi has mostly worked with small and new production companies throughout his career. But that’s changing now as the Shanghai actor is collaborating with one after another big banner. He is next doing a comedy film with Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and a huge-scale action drama with Aditya Chopra’s Yash Raj Films. The Dharma project sees Emraan playing the role of a motor vehicle inspector, clashing with Akshay Kumar, who plays a superstar in the film, while the YRF actioner stars him as the main antagonist, pitted against Salman Khan. Both films have been wrapped up and will be released in theatres next year.
Now, Peepingmoon.com has learned that Emraan Hashmi has signed an action film for Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidwani’s Excel Entertainment. Emraan plays the role of an army officer in the film, and he has already started shooting for it. Although the plot and further details of the project have been kept under wraps at this moment, we heard the film is set in Kashmir and has been titled Ground Zero. Marathi filmmaker Tejas Vijay Deoskar, who directed Madhuri Dixit’s debut Marathi film Bucket List, is helming this action-packed army drama, marking his second Hindi vehicle after the yet-to-release Chhatriwali, which stars Rakul Preet Singh in the role of a condom tester. The film also marks Emraan’s first collaboration with the esteemed Bollywood banner, Excel Entertainment, which has produced memorable films like Dil Chahta Hai, Lakshya, Don, Rock On, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Fukrey, Raees, and Gully Boy, among others, in its over two decades in business.
.jpg)
Emraan, who completes twenty years in Bollywood next year, will be seen playing an army officer for the first time in his career, even though he has essayed the role of a cop several times in films like Zeher (2005) and Ungli (2014). He has been wanting to play a man in uniform for a long time and it’s finally happening with Ground Zero, which sees him on a deadly mission in the conflicted area of Kashmir. For those unaware, Emraan was supposed to play an army man in his debut production, Captain Nawab, in 2017, but the film was shelved only after the first shooting schedule. The Tony D’Souza directorial was put on the backburner after the Ministry of Defence denied the makers a "No Objection Certificate" as they were wary of how the film would highlight the sensitive India-Pakistan relationship. Emraan was supposed to play a double agent who represents India and Pakistan and lands in trouble when both countries find out about his betrayal. The film was reportedly also shelved due to financial issues.
The Dharma, YRF, and Excel movies aside, Emraan is also said to be in talks with Bhushan Kumar’s T-series for a romantic-thriller set in North India. Jannat director Kunal Deshmukh is also planning his next romantic saga with Emraan, however, it’s still at the initial stage. Meanwhile, Emraan’s comedy film, Sab First Class Hai, to be directed by Balwinder Singh Januja, has been indefinitely put on the backburner. Emraan's Selfiee with Akshay Kumar will hit cinemas on February 24th, 2023, while his YRF biggie, Tiger 3 with Salman Khan, will come out on Eid weekend 2023.
