When the clock strikes 4.35 am on October 31, Assam will wake not to the sound of alarm clocks, but to the soft echo of Zubeen Garg’s voice — one last time.

The late singer-actor’s final film, Roi Roi Binale, releases across India in an unprecedented cinematic event that transcends entertainment and becomes a collective act of remembrance.

“Zubeen da used to say people would go crazy over this film,” recalls his co-star Mousumi Alifa. “He was right — just not in the way any of us expected.”

From Nakshatra Cinemas in Lakhimpur, where the first show begins at 4.35 am, to RR Cinema in Dhemaji (4.45 am), TNZ Cinemas in Tezpur (5:00 am), and IMP Cinema (5.20 am), theatres are opening their doors long before sunrise.

Every seat is sold out. In Guwahati, the emotional epicentre, PVR City Center and INOX Insignia, Aurus Mall, are running 23 shows on Day 1 — an extraordinary number for any Assamese release.

Across 46 cities in India — from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Pune, to Shillong, Gangtok, Kochi, Jaipur, Goa, Ranchi, Dhanbad, and Dehradun — audiences are preparing for screenings rarely seen for a regional film. Bengaluru alone has 31 shows on opening day.

A First in Indian Cinema

Early morning screenings are not new to India — Tamil blockbusters like Ajith Kumar’s Thunivu (1 am shows) and Vijay’s Varisu (4 am shows) broke barriers in 2023 — but never before has such a schedule carried this kind of emotional gravity. This isn’t fan frenzy. It’s collective grief transformed into celebration.

Roi Roi Binale — written, composed, and acted by Zubeen Garg — is a musical love story about a blind artist in a region healing from insurgency.

The film, directed by Rajesh Bhuyan, had been in development since 2007 and was nearly complete before Zubeen’s untimely death in Singapore on September 19, 2025, at age 52.

Bhuyan confirmed that only minor post-production work was finished after his passing:

“We used Zubeen’s original voice recordings and restored them minimally with AI. This is his film — untouched, undiluted.”

A Legacy Etched in Sound and Screen

Zubeen Garg’s death — following a seizure while swimming in Singapore — left Assam shaken. The tragedy sparked protests, conspiracy theories, and arrests, including his manager and members of his security team.

Even amid grief, his wife and co-producer Garima Saikia Garg and Bhuyan honoured his wish to release the film on October 31, the date he had chosen himself.

Pre-bookings shattered every record in Assamese cinema. Within hours of tickets opening on October 25, halls across Assam were sold out, with pre-release collections crossing ₹50 lakh — a landmark figure for the industry.

When national multiplexes introduced dynamic pricing, fans revolted, accusing them of profiting from sorrow. The producers intervened, urging theatres to suspend surge pricing “out of respect for the artist.” The All Assam Cinema Hall Owners Association later clarified that local theatres did not hike prices.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi has requested the state government to make the film tax-free as a mark of cultural respect.

Beyond a Film — A Movement

For Zubeen’s admirers, Roi Roi Binale is not just a release but a movement of memory. Supporters are urging permanent screenings in Assam, inspired by Mumbai’s Maratha Mandir’s three-decade run of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. Across social media, fans call it a “people’s pledge” to immortalise Zubeen Garg.

Volunteers have taken to the streets to paste posters, promote the film, and plead with viewers not to record clips — a rare, self-regulated show of fandom dignity.

Technically, too, the film breaks ground: it’s the first Assamese movie to feature Dolby Atmos sound. Distributed by Siddharth Goenka of Goenka Enterprises, Roi Roi Binale opens in 80 theatres across Assam (14 in Guwahati) and over 40 theatres nationwide.

When lights dim before dawn and his voice fills the darkness, it will not just mark a premiere. It will be a moment of communion — between a man and the people who made him immortal.

As the first frame flickers on at 4.35 am, Assam will not just be watching a movie. It will be saying goodbye — together.