Roi Roi Binale has transcended cinema to become a cultural moment and an emotional farewell to the late maestro Zubeen Garg. Released on 31 October 2025, just weeks after the beloved singer-composer-actor’s passing, the film sparked an unprecedented outpouring of grief, pride and celebration across Assam and among the global Assamese diaspora.
In scenes unseen in the region’s cinematic history, thousands queued outside theatres as early as 4 a.m., many braving rain and cold. Theatres reported sold-out shows, and in Assam, all other films were dropped for an entire week to accommodate the tidal demand. Guwahati alone hosted around 178 shows on day one, while cinemas across India screened over 800 shows daily, with old halls reopening and new ones launching to meet the surge — a testament to Garg’s unmatched cultural weight.
Plot: Sound, Love and the Longing for the Sea
Written by Zubeen Garg and directed by Rajesh Bhuyan, Roi Roi Binale follows a visually-impaired musician whose world unfolds through sound, imagination, and emotion. Zubeen portrays a blind singer with a mystical connection to the sea — a motif that gains haunting resonance given his real-life passing in Singapore while swimming.
Not a biopic, the story meditates on a profound question: does art exist for the artist or for the audience? In one of his final interviews, Garg revealed the story lived within him for 19 years, and that the film both begins and ends at the sea — his character’s ultimate dream is to touch the water, a dream he finally fulfils.
Adding to the emotional weight, the filmmakers preserved Garg’s original lapel-mic voice recordings, allowing audiences to hear him as he truly was, one last time.
Performance: A Heart-Shattering Final Act
Zubeen Garg’s performance anchors the film with tenderness, vulnerability and musical depth. His nuanced portrayal — from expressive gestures to emotional stillness — has left audiences visibly moved. Online clips show theatre-goers in tears; one elderly fan shared, “we could only keep crying.” In a particularly poignant moment, a 90-year-old woman had to be carried into a hall just to witness his final on-screen presence.
Garg’s final role is not merely a performance — it is a farewell steeped in love, memory and devotion.
A Musical Milestone
Hailed as Assamese cinema’s first true musical, Roi Roi Binale features between eleven and fifteen songs — all composed and sung by Zubeen himself. Here, music is not ornamental; it drives the narrative, moving effortlessly from lullabies to protest anthems, guiding the audience by rhythm and emotion. Italian opera singer Gioconda Vessichelli lends her voice to the ethereal title track, adding an international dimension to the score.
Technical Brilliance and Visual Poetry
The film marks several cinematic firsts for Assam, including the use of anamorphic lenses and Dolby Atmos sound. Sweeping shots blend seamlessly with intimate frames: fingers tracing imaginary waves, a face lifted to the wind, a musician sculpting worlds through sound. Portions shot in Sri Lanka lend scale, yet the core remains deeply personal — a lyrical portrait of sense, memory and yearning.
Collective Mourning, Collective Pride
The release of Roi Roi Binale became a shared ritual. Assam saw 80 cinemas cancel all other shows, early morning screenings, and record-breaking bookings — over 15,000 tickets sold in the first hour, and half-a-million by the end of day one. The film crossed ₹30–50 crore within days and is projected to surpass ₹100 crore, groundbreaking numbers for regional cinema.
Seats were left empty in theatres to honour Zubeen. The government pledged its GST share to his Kalaguru Artiste Foundation, continuing his mission to uplift young artists.
For many, the film fulfilled Zubeen’s final wish — he had dreamed of releasing it on 31 October, and his team honoured that promise. The screenings have become a communal space for grief and gratitude, a “final embrace” from an artist whose voice shaped generations.
Verdict: A Legacy Immortalised
Taken solely as cinema, Roi Roi Binale shines as a soulful musical drama, anchored by a layered performance and meticulous craft. Yet its meaning extends far beyond screens. It has:
- Rewritten Assamese box-office history
- Reopened theatres
- Reignited regional cinema pride
- Sparked conversations on film economics and community support
Most importantly, it has given fans a space to say goodbye.
With Roi Roi Binale, Zubeen Garg leaves not just a film, but a movement, a memory, and a monumental legacy — a final gift from a man who lived, breathed and transformed music and cinema in Assam.