Assam’s First Cinema Hall ‘Jonaki’ in Tezpur Still Awaits Revival

Even as Zubeen Garg’s much-awaited film “Roi Roi Binale” releases across Assam, the state’s first-ever cinema hall — Jonaki Cinema Hall in Tezpur — remains locked and lifeless.

Once a proud symbol of Assam’s cinematic heritage, the hall, built in 1937 under the initiative and vision of Rupkonwar Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, now lies in ruins due to decades of neglect and government apathy.

The Tezpur unit of AASU (All Assam Students’ Union) has appealed to the Assam government and the Department of Cultural Affairs to take immediate steps for the restoration and reconstruction of Jonaki Cinema Hall. 

The student body expressed deep disappointment over the government’s failure to preserve a site so integral to Assam’s film and cultural history.

“It’s heartbreaking that when Roi Roi Binale, a film by our beloved Zubeen Garg, is being screened across the state, but in Jonaki— Assam’s first movie hall — cannot host a single show,” said one AASU leader.

“Even when Zubeen was alive, he had appealed to the authorities to renovate Jonaki, but no action was ever taken.”

Jonaki Cinema Hall was a dream project of Jyotiprasad Agarwala, the father of Assamese cinema, who envisioned it as a cultural temple for the people of Tezpur and the state. Despite its legacy, successive governments have failed to revive or protect the structure.

In 2019, Jatin Bora, then Chairperson of Jyoti Chitraban, visited the site and assured that Jonaki Cinema would be restored to its former glory.

Around the same time, Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah also promised to take initiative — promises that, according to locals, have remained unfulfilled.

The Tezpur AASU leaders have now urged both the state government and local MLA Prithviraj Rabha to take responsibility for reviving the hall, stressing that Jonaki is not just a building but a living symbol of Assam’s cinematic and cultural identity.

“It is the birthplace of Assamese cinema, and bringing it back to life is the least tribute we can pay to Jyotiprasad Agarwala and Zubeen Garg,” the students said in a joint statement.

As the rest of Assam celebrates the release of Roi Roi Binale, Tezpur’s shuttered Jonaki Cinema Hall stands as a silent reminder of the fading legacy of Assamese cinema — and the urgent need to preserve it.

Also Read: Roi Roi Binale Exposes Cultural Crisis: Assam Wants to Watch, But Who Killed the Cinema Halls?