'Roi Roi Binale' and the Future of Assamese Cinema After Zubeen Garg
The unprecedented craze surrounding Zubeen Garg’s Roi Roi Binale has led to an extraordinary screening schedule across Assam, with several theatres hosting shows as early as dawn. With facts and figures changing every hour, the excitement surrounding the film continues to escalate as we are just hours away from witnessing heartthrob Zubeen Garg on the big screen for one last time.
The buzz for Roi Roi Binale goes beyond Assam. It has secured over 45 screens across major cities in India, including Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad. Such unprecedented demand has also led to multiple daily shows in cities like Jaipur, Ranchi, Dhanbad, Kochi, and Goa, where Assamese films are rarely screened. So, for the record, there will be 18 shows across 14 cinema halls in Mumbai, 77 shows across 15 cinema halls in Bengaluru, and 12 shows across 10 cinema halls in Kolkata.
The First Screening of Roi Roi Binale in India
According to the latest reports, Nakshatra Cinemas in Lakhimpur will now host the first show in the country at 4:30 AM, making it the earliest screening of the film. The race among cinema halls to premiere the movie is intensifying rapidly, as tickets for these early-morning shows are sold out within a few hours of opening. At this rate, it wouldn’t be surprising if a theatre in Assam soon announces a 4:00 AM show.
In Dhemaji, RR Cinemas will start its first show at 4:45 AM. In Tezpur, TNZ Cinemas will roll its first show at 5:00 AM, followed closely by IMP Cinemas at 5:20 AM, and SVF Cinemas at 5:45 AM — marking the earliest screenings ever recorded in the history of Assamese cinema. Beyond Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, and Tezpur, cinema halls in Guwahati and other major towns have also scheduled early-morning shows from 6:00 AM onwards, continuing throughout the day and well past midnight.
For the first time in Assamese cinema, shows will begin before sunrise and continue until 11:55 PM. In fact, the late-night screenings will run well into the small hours of the morning. If the last show starts at 11:50 PM or 11:55 PM, it will run until 2:30 or even 3:00 AM with an interval and extra advertisements in place. That means the next day’s first shift begins again just two hours later.
The Scenario in Guwahati
As of October 30, the highest number of shows by a single cinema hall in Assam will be offered by Cinepolis, Central Mall, Guwahati. Initially scheduled to screen Roi Roi Binale 19 times a day, the four-screen multiplex has now increased the count to 24 shows in total, responding to the overwhelming public demand and hype surrounding the film. It is followed by PVR City Centre, Guwahati, and INOX Insignia, Aurus Mall, Guwahati, each with 23 daily shows.
Interestingly, the same Cinepolis venue at Central Mall had once denied Mission China (2017), also starring and directed by Zubeen Garg, a premiere screening. That incident sparked a major outrage across Assam and even reached the floor of the Assam Legislative Assembly, where concerns were raised about the neglect of Assamese cinema in its own homeland by external exhibitors. Today, the tables have definitely turned.
Are the Halls Prepared?
But the biggest question here is the safety and well-being of cinema employees. While theatres are raking in unprecedented profits and footfall, it is unclear whether the same enthusiasm has given way for better pay, transportation, and rest arrangements for the staff. Even with the hiring of additional staff, projectionists will face a hard time, as their technical expertise cannot be easily replaced or replicated. Therefore, this humanitarian aspect must be considered, if it hasn’t been already.
Moreover, the question of crowd control and safety management looms large. Are the cinema halls adequately prepared with proper strategies? Will emergency services be on standby to respond immediately if required? As this is the first time Assam’s theatres, cine-workers, and audiences will experience a phenomenon of this scale, the question of safety and security is very essential. If, for any technical reason, a show is delayed or interrupted, the risk of chaos cannot be ruled out. Especially with families, women, children, and elderly people forming a large part of the audience, the risk also goes up. Hence, strong security measures are an absolute necessity.
Reduction of SGST and Other Concessions
In a significant gesture, the Assam government has now announced that it will return 9% of the 18% GST levied on cinema tickets for Roi Roi Binale to Kalaguru Artiste Foundation, a charitable organisation set up by the late singer for humanitarian work. In the sidelines of that, many people are also questioning whether the government will extend the same level of support to Zubeen Garg’s Roi Roi Binale as it did for Hindi films like The Kashmir Files (2022) and The Kerala Story (2023). For the uninitiated, the state government had earlier given a Half-Day Leave to all government employees to watch The Kashmir Files (2022). And in 2023, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma himself went to watch The Kerala Story (2023) along with his cabinet colleagues in Guwahati.
Opening and Re-opening of Cinema Halls
Moreover, several long-closed theatres, such as TS Cinema (formerly Carnival Cinemas) in Guwahati, Smriti Gopal in Jorhat, and Ganesh Talkies in Jagiroad, will be reopened after years to honour Zubeen Garg and his film. New theatres have also come up in towns like Goalpara (Daimond Cinemas), Hojai (Gold Cinemas), Tihu (Gandhi Bhawan Cinema Hall) and many other places. In Guwahati, the age-old Kelvin Cinemas is also set to reopen soon in a new form and with two screens, in partnership with Gold Cinemas, under the name Kelvin Gold.
The opening and reopening of cinema halls is almost like a tradition for Zubeen Garg films. But at the same time, this moment also shines a light on a persistent problem: many semi-urban and rural pockets of Assam still lack operational cinema halls, and where they exist, most struggle with low footfall because big movies do not always come to save the day.
Cinema Hall and the State Government
The state government’s ongoing schemes to encourage the opening and reopening of theatres, with support from The Assam State Film (Finance and Development) Corporation, are welcome policy initiatives, but in practice, such support often faces bureaucratic delays, financial bottlenecks, and legal hurdles, and hence takes years to materialize. In very recent times, the Aideo Cinema Hall in Guwahati and the Gandhi Bhawan Cinema Hall in Tihu are the only two success stories of the government intervention in the exhibition business. Hopefully, more cinema halls will come in due time.
Apart from that, many cinema halls seeking to reopen are also facing practical hurdles such as renewal of licenses, clearance of outstanding payments, and other regulatory compliances. For instance, the owner of Niranjan Cinema Hall in Naharkatia has stated that the reopening of his hall could become feasible only if he receives support from the government.
Ganesh Talkies from Reel to Real
If the Ganesh Talkies cinema in Jagiroad re-opens successfully as planned, it will share quite a remarkable feat. The hall was featured in the film Bhaimon Da as Chitralekha Cinema Hall of Golaghat. Audiences will recall that in the story, the hall was reopened to screen a Munin Barua film. Just as the hall was brought back to life for the shoot of Bhaimon Da and portrayed on-screen for a Munin Barua film (albeit under a different name), it will now actually reopen in reality to screen Zubeen Garg’s film. So, in a curious twist of fate, it will mimic its on-screen destiny in reality.
National Cinema Chains and Dynamic Pricing
In another news, the national cinema chains like PVR INOX came under public scrutiny when they applied dynamic pricing for Roi Roi Binale and ticket prices went up as high as ?400 for a ?200–?250 seat. After a request from the producers, the ticket prices have reduced by a few shares, but it also prompted many audiences to call for discounts similar to those offered for big-budget Bollywood films. PVR Cinemas has now introduced a BOGO (Buy One, Get One) offer and 25% off on food and beverages for bookings of the film. Many audiences are also hoping for reduced ticket prices on weekdays at the special price of ?99–?129 per ticket that the multiplex chains typically offer on select days.
Free Screenings
Many NGOs, philanthropists, and organizations have announced that they will be providing free tickets to underprivileged people to watch Roi Roi Binale on the big screen. Several initiatives will also support residents of old age homes. In Biswanath Chariali, Pabhoi Digital Talkies will reserve free seats for physically disabled patrons. Overall, these efforts are good signs which reflect Zubeen Garg’s vision of making cinema accessible for everyone. Hopefully, more such screening initiatives will be taken in the days to come.
Domination of Roi Roi Binale at the Box Office
It is definitely a positive sign that, for one Assamese film, all holdover English and Hindi releases from previous weeks have been discontinued, and new releases in these languages will now not be screened in Assam. This is because all the cinema halls have dedicated all their shows exclusively to the Zubeen Garg film. Therefore, it had to let go of re-releases like Baahubali: The Epic, which has combined both the parts of the Indian epic saga into one, as well as a Shah Rukh Khan film festival featuring several of his well-loved films, which were supposed to be released on October 31. With no other major Bollywood releases scheduled for the week, this has in fact proven to be a winning strategy, as no other big film is scheduled for release now.
To note, back in 2017, Local Kung Fu 2 was thrown out of theatres despite doing well in Assam because of Baahubali 2: The Conclusion. Today Baahubali: The Epic (2025) is not getting any screens in Assam. So, we can conclude that what goes around comes around.
Apart from these, some smaller releases like Aaryan and Aan Paavam Pollathathu in Tamil, and Hindi films like The Taj Story, and English films such as The Black Phone 2, Bugonia, and Good Boy were supposed to be screened but these titles are anyway not expected to result in a significant turnover for Assam. So, the national cinema chains are not losing much by prioritizing Roi Roi Binale. In fact, it’s their win rather than a victory of Assamese cinema. The situation would be victorious only when the national chain halls will ignore a major new release from Shah Rukh Khan or Salman Khan in favour of an Assamese film.
Future of Cinema in Assam
Now, one important point of focus is the future of cinema in Assam. Zubeen Garg, who helped revive the industry many times, is now no more. Where do we go from here? If the facts are to be observed, Zubeen Garg has been associated with nearly every hit film in Assam since his debut in cinema — whether as a singer, music composer, actor, director, or producer. Now that he is no more, Assamese cinema will undoubtedly lose out more than what we have ever imagined.
Be it Mission China, Kanchanjangha, or Dr. Bezbarua 2, Zubeen Garg successfully overcame many difficulties in the filmmaking scenario of Assam. Although his directorial ventures never won much favour among regional critics, they certainly broke the box office records. This was largely due to his extremely loyal fan base and the love of the people for his daring spirit. So, going forward, filmmakers will find it hard to match the courage that he had displayed.
A Question for the Readers
So, here a question will remain open. After a month or two, Roi Roi Binale will emerge as the biggest blockbuster in the history of Assamese cinema. And the records that it has already made and will make in the near future will be untouched for several decades. But will the audiences, who have booked the tickets for Roi Roi Binale in Zubeen Garg’s name and hype, return for the next deserving Assamese release? Or will we go back to our sweet slumber when an Assamese film arrives?
None of this is to undercut the sheer magnitude of love that the audiences in Assam have poured into Roi Roi Binale but to make the people aware about the future. The overall zest, the fan-led promotions, and the near-mythical pre-booking numbers have shown how deeply Zubeen Garg continues to live in the public heart, but the success of Roi Roi Binale should also positively contribute to the consistent growth of our regional cinema in the future.