Assam awoke before dawn on Oct 31 to bid farewell to one of its most beloved icons, as Zubeen Garg’s final film Roi Roi Binale premiered to unprecedented demand.
All 85 cinemas across the state reported 100 per cent occupancy, with advance bookings selling out for an entire week and long-shuttered single-screen halls reopening in tribute, reported NDTV.
The musical drama collected over Rs7 crore (S$1 million) nationwide within three days – a historic milestone for Assamese cinema, said The Financial Express.
Fans queued from 4am outside theatres in Guwahati, Dibrugarh, and Jorhat, many carrying candles and flowers, turning the screenings into emotional memorials for the singer-actor who drowned in Singapore in September.
Directed by Rajesh Bhuyan and co-produced by Zubeen and his wife, Garima Saikia, Roi Roi Binale features the late artiste as a blind musician who finds love and fame while confronting prejudice and political turmoil.
The title, drawn from Zubeen’s 1992 song meaning “Tears Will Flow,” encapsulates the bittersweet mood enveloping Assam.
“This was Zubeen Da’s dream,” said Bhuyan. “He wanted Assamese cinema to reach beyond the Northeast. We ensured the film released on October 31, exactly as he wished.”
In a first for Assamese films, Roi Roi Binale opened not only across the Northeast but also in Jaipur, Lucknow, Goa, Cuttack, and Bhopal, fulfilling Zubeen’s long-held ambition of taking regional cinema national, reported The Economic Times.
The phenomenon has breathed new life into Assam’s single-screen culture. According to Mr Rajiv Bora, president of the Assam Cinema Hall Owners’ Association, “No other film is being screened in the state right now. Eight or nine closed theatres, including the historic Ganesh Talkies, have reopened just for this movie.”
With near-continuous screenings from 5am to midnight, Mr Bora predicted box-office revenues could surpass Rs100 crore, calling it “unthinkable for Assamese cinema”.
More than just a box-office triumph, the film has become a collective act of remembrance.
Fans have been singing Zubeen’s songs outside theatres, while others see the success as his posthumous victory in reviving local cinema, noted NDTV.
In recognition of his legacy, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that all state GST revenue from the film will be donated to Zubeen’s Kalaguru Artiste Foundation, supporting underprivileged artistes and students.
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1 Oct 2025 13:58
