§  “Zubeen Garg’s final film faces massive illegal uploading on 100+ YouTube channels. Director files FIR, demands strict legal action against digital pirates. Learn about film piracy laws in India and the fight to protect Assamese cinema.”

§  “‘Roi Roi Binale’ makers fight piracy with 100+ illegal YouTube uploads. Director Rajesh Bhuyan’s emotional plea as Zubeen Garg’s final film gets pirated. Understand film copyright laws and piracy consequences in India.”

§  “Zubeen Garg’s ‘Roi Roi Binale’ pirated on 100 YouTube channels. Makers lodge cyber crime complaint. Explore India’s film piracy crisis, legal action, and battle to protect regional cinema.”

§  “Director sues 100 YouTube channels for uploading ‘Roi Roi Binale’. Know about copyright infringement, FIR details, and film protection laws in India’s 4th-ranked piracy nation.”

GUWAHATI: The film industry of Assam faces its darkest hour as one of the region’s most significant cultural treasures falls victim to massive digital piracy. The makers of “Roi Roi Binale”—the final cinematic work of legendary singer, composer and cultural ambassador Zubeen Garg—have filed urgent complaints with cyber police authorities after discovering that their film has been illegally uploaded across numerous online platforms, spawning a criminal network of unprecedented scale. This isn’t merely a story about copyright violation; it’s a battle for the soul of Assamese cinema and the protection of a 19-year vision that Zubeen Garg dedicated his life to realizing.

How the Dream Turned into a Nightmare: The Full Picture

Director Rajesh Bhuyan and producer Shyamantak Gautam stood before media representatives on November 8, 2025, visibly shaken and emotionally drained. What they revealed painted a disturbing picture of digital lawlessness and cultural betrayal. Within just nine days of the film’s theatrical release on October 31, 2025, the entire cinema had been systematically recorded, reproduced and distributed across digital platforms in ways that seemed to defy all reasonable expectations.

The team initially believed they were witnessing fan tributes when short video clips began circulating online. In a decision that now haunts them, they chose silence, assuming Assam’s cinema enthusiasts were preserving Zubeen’s memory through these recordings. But their restraint was a strategic miscalculation. What started as 5-minute clips rapidly escalated to 10-minute segments, then full-hour recordings, and finally—the complete film—freely available on YouTube and other streaming platforms without a single rupee of compensation to those who created it.

“We initially thought fans were doing this as a tribute to Zubeen Garg,” Director Rajesh Bhuyan explained at the press meet. “We remained silent because we believed they were preserving his memory. But the situation spiraled uncontrollably. The full cinema has been pirated and uploaded across platforms. This is really unfortunate and a betrayal of everything Zubeen stood for.”

The Scale of Piracy: A Network of Criminals

The filmmakers’ investigation revealed a sophisticated piracy network operating across multiple states. Approximately 100 YouTube channels were identified as actively hosting pirated versions of the film. Most alarming, these channels operated under fake identities with zero subscribers—a telltale sign of organized criminal enterprise rather than casual fans. The producers named several channels and accounts involved in the illegal distribution, including “Aking Bhai,” “Akram Hussain,” “Ankita Boruah,” “Zubeen Fan Club,” “Papu,” “Assamese Reel Video” and “Arun Axom.”

Producer Shyamantak Gautam, who had foregone proper food and sleep for three consecutive days while coordinating removal efforts, likened the situation to the mythological monster Raktabeej—a creature that multiplies when wounded. “For every pirated channel we take down, another ten appear,” Gautam stated, his voice trembling with exhaustion and frustration. “It’s like a never-ending battle.”

The piracy reports came not just from Guwahati but from across multiple cities: Duliajan, Tezpur, Dispur and beyond. Preliminary investigations by the Crime Branch have revealed that piracy sources extend outside Assam’s geographical boundaries, suggesting involvement of larger trafficking networks operating across state lines.

Filing Formal Complaints: The Legal Fight Begins

In response to the unprecedented piracy crisis, the filmmakers took decisive legal action. On November 2, 2025 an official complaint was lodged with the Dispur Police Station detailing the unauthorized distribution of their film across Telegram channels, multiple websites and Instagram pages. This was followed by a comprehensive FIR filed with the Cyber Police Station on November 8, 2025, with specific evidence including digital logs, timestamps, screenshots and metadata.

The formal complaint was later formally received by the CID (Criminal Investigation Department) on November 9, 2025, marking a significant step toward combating digital piracy and protecting the creative and intellectual property rights of Assamese filmmakers.

The legal framework under which these cases operate is robust but often unenforced. Under Section 63 of the Copyright Act, 1957, unauthorized copying, reproduction or distribution of copyrighted cinematic works constitutes a serious criminal offense punishable by imprisonment of up to 3 years and fines reaching up to Rs. 2 lakh. The Cinematograph Act, 1952 (Section 7) extends these penalties, allowing imprisonment of 3 months to 3 years with fines up to 5% of the film’s budget for illegal streaming or distribution.

Additionally, the Information Technology Act, 2000 (Section 66) imposes stringent cyber crime penalties: up to 3 years imprisonment and fines of Rs. 5 lakh for unauthorized access or distribution of digital content.

The Emotional Core: A 19-Year Dream Shattered

What makes this piracy case particularly significant is not merely the financial loss—though that is substantial—but the symbolic devastation to a long-cherished creative vision. Director Rajesh Bhuyan described the film as a “deep personal loss” and a “betrayal of Zubeen Garg’s long-cherished dream.” For nearly two decades, Bhuyan and Zubeen had nurtured this project, pouring their artistic energies into bringing it to life. Every frame, every note, every emotional beat carried the weight of that 19-year commitment.

“Everyone involved in this film has given their best to make Zubeen’s dream come true,” Bhuyan said, his voice breaking with emotion. “But those who chose to pirate it have destroyed all our hard work.”

The film itself carries profound significance beyond its artistic merit. After Zubeen Garg’s tragic death on September 19, 2025, under circumstances that remain controversial and subject to official investigation, “Roi Roi Binale” transformed into something even more sacred—a final testament to his artistic genius, his vision for Assamese cinema and his unwavering commitment to regional cultural pride.

Zubeen Garg’s Vision Under Attack: The Bigger Crisis

To understand the true gravity of this piracy crisis, one must recognize what Zubeen Garg himself stood for throughout his remarkable life. The legendary singer, composer, filmmaker and cultural icon had been a vocal opponent of piracy. His vision extended beyond entertainment; it was about elevating Assamese cinema to global recognition and inspiring future generations of artists. He championed regional cinema not as a niche product but as a legitimate art form worthy of respect, investment and protection.

Rajesh Bhuyan articulated this larger context at the press conference: “Zubeen always dreamed of taking Assamese cinema to global platforms. If such piracy circumstances continue unabated, Garg’s dream of a thriving, internationally-recognized Assamese film industry will never succeed.” He appealed directly to the public: “I urge everyone to take down all the pirated clips from YouTube and other public pages and to punish those accused.”

The filmmakers also articulated a cultural critique directed at their own people. Bhuyan noted with visible disappointment: “It’s disheartening to see some people in Assam more invested in South Indian cinema than in supporting their own. You cannot call yourself Assamese if you don’t respect your culture and language. What you are doing is a shame to Assamese culture and the film industry.”

The Broader Context: Assamese Cinema Under Siege

The Roi Roi Binale piracy case cannot be viewed in isolation. It represents a systemic crisis affecting the entire Assamese film industry. Over the past decades, the film industry of Assam has struggled with multiple interconnected challenges including inadequate film financing, limited production infrastructure, insufficient theatrical screens (approximately 65 screens across the entire state), poor marketing and audience promotion and insufficient talent development.

Piracy has become the additional nail in this coffin. When films struggle to find theatrical audiences due to distribution challenges and then face rampant online piracy, the economic model for filmmaking becomes unsustainable. This creates a vicious cycle: fewer films get made, fewer stories get told, fewer artists find livelihood and the cultural fabric weakens.

Assam ranks among the hardest-hit regions for film piracy in India. Nationally, India ranks fourth globally for online movie piracy with devastating economic consequences. The global motion picture industry loses approximately $75 billion annually due to online piracy, a figure projected to escalate to $125 billion by 2028 if current trends continue.

When Film Becomes a Commodity: The Mechanics of the Piracy Network

Understanding how films like Roi Roi Binale get pirated reveals the sophisticated criminal infrastructure behind this seemingly simple act of uploading a video. The piracy typically begins inside cinema halls where individuals record the film using smartphones or dedicated recording devices. These source recordings are then edited, processed, and uploaded to multiple platforms—YouTube, Telegram, Instagram, torrent sites and specialized piracy websites—often within hours of the initial recording.

The criminals behind these operations employ multiple tactics to evade detection and removal. They use fake account names, rotating IP addresses, VPN services and multiple redundant upload channels. The moment one channel gets removed, another immediately appears with similar content. This decentralized approach makes removal efforts extraordinarily time-consuming and labor-intensive.

Producer Gautam spent 72 hours without adequate rest coordinating takedown notices across platforms. His team filed complaints with YouTube, social media administrators and hosting providers. Despite these efforts, new pirated uploads appeared faster than they could be documented and reported.

Legal Weapons Against Piracy: What the Law Provides

The Indian legal system offers filmmakers multiple avenues for fighting piracy, though enforcement remains inconsistent. The primary tools include

·       Criminal Prosecution Under Copyright Act, 1957: Section 63 explicitly criminalizes unauthorized reproduction or distribution of cinematograph films. First-time offenders face imprisonment up to 3 years and fines up to Rs. 2,00,000. Repeat offenders face even stiffer penalties under Section 63A.

·       Cinematograph Act Provisions: Section 7 specifically addresses illegal streaming and distribution, carrying 3 months to 3 years imprisonment with fines up to 5% of the film’s budget value. Sections 7(1A) and 7(1B) extend liability to platforms and websites hosting pirated content.

·       Information Technology Act Provisions: Section 66 targets cyber crimes including unauthorized distribution of digital content, carrying up to 3 years imprisonment and Rs. 5 lakh fines. Section 79 establishes platform responsibility, requiring ISPs and hosting services to remove infringing content within 36 hours of notice or face liability.

·       “John Doe Orders” and Dynamic Injunctions: Indian courts have pioneered “John Doe Orders” that allow rights holders to block websites and take down infringing content even when the specific identity of the infringer remains unknown. More recently, dynamic injunctions allow real-time blocking of mirror sites, adapting to pirates’ shifting tactics.

·       Seizure and Asset Recovery: Under Copyright Act Section 64 and BNSS Section 227, authorities can seize pirated materials, devices and servers without requiring a warrant. Recent high-profile cases have resulted in seizures of assets worth millions of rupees.

The Police Response: FIR and Investigation

On November 8, 2025, Cyber Police Station officials formally registered an FIR against unidentified individuals involved in the illegal piracy of Roi Roi Binale. The complaint specifically invoked multiple sections of law: Copyright Act, 1957 (Section 63), Cinematograph Act, 1952 (Section 7), Cinematograph Amendment Act, 2023 and the Information Technology Act, 2000 (relevant provisions).

The complaint document submitted to police and CID included comprehensive digital evidence: screenshots of pirated uploads, timestamps demonstrating continuous violations, metadata from various platforms, and details of identified channels. The filmmakers specifically requested authorities to

·       Register FIRs under all relevant legal sections

·       Launch urgent investigation into the piracy network

·       Preserve all digital evidence including IP details, server logs and hosting data

·       Identify and apprehend individuals operating the piracy network

·       Issue blocking orders against all infringing URLs and websites

·       Coordinate with internet service providers for content removal

Impact on the Film Industry and Theater Owners: A Collective Crisis

The Roi Roi Binale piracy crisis has sent shockwaves through Assam’s entire cinema ecosystem. The All Assam Cinema Hall Owners’ Association, represented by General Secretary Rajeev Bora, expressed collective frustration at the situation. Despite deploying enhanced security measures including additional security personnel to monitor smartphone usage during screenings, cinema halls continued to experience recording incidents.

Bora stated with evident dismay: “We knew there would be attempts at piracy, but never imagined such intensity and sophistication. We cannot ban phones inside halls but we have deployed security to monitor recordings during screenings. Even then, some continue these acts.” He appealed to audiences: “Watch Roi Roi Binale in theatres as a tribute to Zubeen Garg. It’s disheartening that even after lakhs came out to mourn him, we are seeing his last work being pirated.”

The situation represents a catastrophic setback for Assamese cinema at precisely the moment when the industry desperately needed a success story. Roi Roi Binale had become the highest-grossing film in Assamese cinema history, but it simultaneously became the most-pirated film in the state’s cinema history—a paradoxical tragedy.

Filmmaker Voices Unite: The Industry’s Collective Outrage

The piracy crisis galvanized response from across Assam’s film fraternity. Filmmaker Manas Baruah, an active member of multiple anti-piracy organizations, expressed deep distress: “This situation is deeply distressing. There are individuals who have even premiered the pirated version on YouTube. The film was like a child to Zubeen—and people have butchered its parts. We make films for our people, but it is our own who are doing this.”

Baruah further highlighted a critical enforcement gap: “The lenient action against offenders, who are released within days of arrest, encourages others to continue piracy. There’s insufficient legal deterrent when perpetrators face minimal consequences.”

The Broader Battle: Global and National Context

The Roi Roi Binale piracy case reflects a global phenomenon of alarming proportions. Content piracy in 2025 has become more sophisticated and technologically advanced. One particularly dangerous emerging trend is CDN Leeching—a practice where pirates hijack existing Content Delivery Networks to distribute stolen content at virtually no cost, bypassing the need to build their own infrastructure.

Furthermore, artificial intelligence has introduced new piracy vectors. AI-powered tools now capable of voice cloning, artistic style mimicking and generation of convincing replicas of copyrighted content have blurred the line between original and pirated material, making detection and enforcement extraordinarily complex.

Globally, motion picture industry losses to piracy demonstrate the scale of this crisis. Between 2023 and 2025, different content categories showed varied piracy growth patterns, with publishing piracy recording particularly sharp increases. The global ecosystem—from major Hollywood studios to independent regional filmmakers like those in Assam—faces coordinated, well-organized criminal networks.

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Government Action and Special Investigation Considerations

The Assam government has recognized the seriousness of the piracy situation within the broader context of Zubeen Garg’s death investigation. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that the government aims to file a comprehensive chargesheet in the Zubeen Garg case by December 8, 2025, indicating that investigations into related matters including financial irregularities and crimes against his works would proceed with urgency.

The Cyber Police Station and CID have begun systematic investigation into the piracy network. Authorities have initiated discussions with internet service providers, digital platforms, and law enforcement agencies across state boundaries to trace the source of pirated content and identify perpetrators.

Cultural Impact and the #JusticeForZubeen Movement

The piracy crisis must be understood within the context of the massive #JusticeForZubeen movement that has emerged following Zubeen Garg’s death. This digital movement has become the largest hashtag-based justice campaign in world history with over 2 million posts utilizing #JusticeForZubeenGarg within just 30 days. The piracy of his final film is perceived not merely as copyright violation but as a betrayal of the justice movement itself—a desecration of his memory and legacy at the precise moment when society has united around preserving his honor.

The Roi Roi Binale piracy case illuminates critical gaps in India’s digital piracy enforcement. Experts and industry stakeholders have recommended several strategic interventions:

Immediate Measures: Faster takedown responses from digital platforms (currently requiring 36 hours but often taking much longer), expedited police investigation and FIR processing, and aggressive asset seizure of piracy infrastructure.

Medium-Term Solutions: Implementation of advanced AI-powered detection systems capable of identifying pirated content automatically and issuing takedown notices in real-time. Digital forensic watermarking on theatrical releases to trace piracy sources. Enhanced penalties for first-time offenders to create genuine legal deterrent.

Long-Term Structural Changes: Establishing dedicated anti-piracy task forces with specialized training in digital crime investigation. Creating industry-wide standards for content protection and coordinated anti-piracy campaigns. Implementing a graduated response system that educates casual piracy consumers while imposing severe penalties on organized piracy networks.

Platform Accountability: Requiring YouTube, social media platforms, and ISPs to provide more transparent data regarding piracy takedown timelines, efforts, and outcomes. Establishing legal mechanisms to hold platforms accountable when they fail to remove pirated content within stipulated timeframes.

Conclusion: A Moment for Collective Awakening

The piracy crisis facing “Roi Roi Binale” represents far more than a legal dispute or financial loss. It embodies a critical test of whether Assamese culture, cinema and creativity will be valued, protected and allowed to flourish—or whether they will be treated as disposable commodities to be consumed without compensation or respect.

Director Rajesh Bhuyan concluded the press meet with an urgent plea: “I’m not asking anyone to stop pirating—I’m demanding it. This has pushed us all to the edge. We will not stay silent until Zubeen receives the justice he deserves and his final film gets the protection it demands.”

The battle ahead requires coordinated action from police authorities, judicial institutions, digital platforms, film industry stakeholders and most crucially—from Assamese society itself. Every individual who chooses to watch pirated content becomes complicit in the destruction of their own cultural industry. Conversely, every person who chooses legitimate viewing, every audience member who supports the theatrical release, and every citizen who reports piracy to authorities becomes a defender of Assamese cinema’s future.

The $75 billion global piracy crisis and India’s ranking as the fourth most affected nation serve as stark warnings. The choice facing Assam is clear: either embrace collective responsibility for protecting creative works, or watch as regional cinema—and the stories, voices, and dreams it carries—slowly suffocates under the weight of unchecked digital theft.

Zubeen Garg devoted his life to preserving and elevating Assamese culture. His final film, “Roi Roi Binale,” stands as his last gift to society. How that gift is treated—whether it is cherished, protected, and respected, or stolen, distributed, and destroyed—will reveal the true values of contemporary Assamese society.

The time for awakening is now.

Call to Action: Follow and Share The Daily Hints

This is your invitation to join the movement against piracy and in defense of regional cinema. Report pirated content to YouTube, Facebook and Telegram using their reporting tools. Support Assamese cinema by watching films in theaters. Demand stricter penalties for copyright violators from your elected representatives. Most importantly, spread awareness about this crisis within your networks.

Follow and share The Daily Hints for comprehensive coverage of film piracy, cultural preservation, legal justice and the fight to protect Assamese cinema’s future. Together, we can transform this moment of crisis into a catalyst for systemic change.

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