Guwahati, Nov 9: The team behind Roi Roi Binale, the last film of the late cultural figure Zubeen Garg, has expressed serious concerns regarding rampant piracy of the movie, just nine days post its premiere.

During a press conference on Saturday, the film's director, producer, and members of the Assamese film community urged the authorities to take immediate and strict measures against those responsible for the leaks.

Director Rajesh Bhuyan mentioned that the team initially dismissed short clips appearing online, thinking they were fan tributes. However, the situation escalated quickly.

“We chose to remain quiet, believing fans wanted to honor Garg’s legacy. But the clips grew longer, reaching up to an hour, and now the entire film is available online. This is truly unfortunate,” Bhuyan stated.

He emphasized that Garg was a staunch opponent of piracy and had aspirations of elevating Assamese cinema to international stages.

“If this trend continues, Garg’s vision for a flourishing Assamese film industry will never materialize. I implore everyone to remove all pirated content from YouTube and other platforms and to hold the offenders accountable,” Bhuyan pleaded.

Producer Shyamantak Gautam shared that he had gone without proper food or sleep for three days while trying to eliminate illegal uploads.

“It feels like Raktabeej; for every one we take down, ten more pop up. Many accounts sharing pirated versions use fake identities and have no subscribers. We’ve identified several, including Aking Bhai, Akram Hussain, and Zubeen Fan Club,” he noted.

Filmmaker Manas Baruah, part of various anti-piracy organizations, described the situation as “deeply troubling.”

“Some individuals have even showcased the pirated version on YouTube. As Rajesh Bhuyan mentioned, the film was like a child to Zubeen, and it’s heartbreaking to see it being mutilated. We create films for our audience, yet it’s our own people who are doing this,” Baruah lamented, adding that lenient penalties for offenders, who are often released quickly, encourage further violations.

Rajeev Bora, general secretary of the All Assam Cinema Hall Owners’ Association, expressed disappointment that piracy continues despite numerous warnings.

“We anticipated attempts at piracy but never expected it to be this severe. While we cannot prohibit phones in theaters, we have increased security to monitor recordings during screenings. Still, some persist in these actions,” Bora explained.

He urged the public to support Roi Roi Binale by watching it in theaters as a tribute to Garg.

“It’s disheartening that after so many came to pay their respects, we are witnessing his final work being pirated. I urge everyone to honor him by keeping his last creation alive,” Bora added.

The team collectively called on authorities, digital platforms, and the public to unite against the escalating piracy issue that threatens the hard-earned progress of cinema following an emotional release.