Zubeen Garg's Mission China Might Be A Game Changer For Assamese Film

Guwahati: Remember the hit song Ya Ali of the 2006 Bollywood hit Gangster? Well the man who sang it and made a name for himself in Mumbai is trying to pay his home state back. Zubeen Garg is acting, directing and producing Assam's most expensive yet and hoping it's release - on September 8 -- will revitalize the film industry in the state. The film's name? A very newsy Mission China. "With its release, six new halls are going to be opened in Assam. This has created excitement among hall owners and if this excitement can be carried forward, then within few years Assam will have about 100 halls and some good movies with more budget, and if this shapes well even I am planning a sequel," Zubeen Garg told NDTV.

Mission China is not going to rock the Sino-Indian diplomatic boat. It's a thriller love story and star-studded enough, the industry hopes, to break the trend of Bollywood blockbusters pushing Assamese films off screens.



"Zubeen is the biggest crowd puller in Assam and this is a big budget movie as far as Assamese film industry is concerned. There has never been this kind of promotion so this should be houseful for more than a week and bring about a change," explained Assamese film critic Utpal Dutta.

But the movie hall owners are still sceptical.

"We need at least 100 halls in the state to make break, even though people are making Assamese cinema but everyone is in loss and no profits in the industry," said Rajib Bora, General Secretary Assam Movie Hall Owners' Association.

So fingers crossed for Mission China. For Jorhat born Zubeen Garg, it is time to pay forward to his state for giving him his music.