1930s The origins of Assamese cinema can be traced back to
Rupkonwar Jyotiprasad Agarwala, who was also a noted poet, playwright, composer and
freedom fighter. He was instrumental in the production of the first Assamese Film
Joymati in 1935, under the banner of Chitralekha Movietone. Aideu Handique was the heroine of this movie. Due to the lack of trained technicians, Jyotiprasad, while making his maiden film, shouldered the added responsibilities as the scriptwriter, producer, director, choreographer, editor, set and costume designer, lyricist, and music director. The film, completed with a budget of 60,000 rupees was released on 10 March 1935. The picture failed. Despite the significant financial loss from
Joymati, the second picture
Indramalati was filmed between 1937 and 1938 finally released in 1939.
Pramathesh Barua released his Assamese version of
Devdas in 1937. It was the last of the 3 language version following Bengali and Hindi.
1940s Agarwala made another film after a gap of two years, titled
Indramalati. It was his second and last film. The eminent composer and singer of Assam, Bhupen Hazarika, played a prominent role in the film. With the passing away of Jyotiprasad, the Assamese film industry witnessed a temporary lull for a couple of years. File:Paran Barbarooah in his office.jpg|thumb|Paran Barbarooah (1939-2025),
industrialist and
film producer. This movement was started in the mid 1980s by
film producer Paran Barbarooah, a
thriving industrialist who invested large sums of
capital in the Assamese film industry. He financed feature film productions, assuming the full financial risk of these investments during unstable circumstances. The first feature film Barbarooah produced was
Surooj, which is commonly regarded as the first big-budget Assamese film. Barbarooah allocated substantially greater funds to areas such as
cinematography,
sound, and overall technical execution, distinguishing it from most earlier releases. The film starring Brajen Bora, Abdul Majid, Pranjal Saikia, Dinesh Das, and
Baharul Islam (who was launched in this film) achieved record-setting economic success and attracted significant public attention. It shattered all previous records and became the highest-grossing Assamese film by a large margin. Contemporary media reports documented a massive crowd on the film’s opening day outside Anuradha Cinema Hall, where the anticipatory audience reportedly shattered the glass entrance to enter the hall. . Paran Barbarooah’s leap of faith with Surooj has often been interpreted as the defining moment which started the gradual shift in production strategy, with increased emphasis on higher budgets, improved technical standards, and broader audience reach. Alongside Barbarooah, other producers—Amulya Kakati, R.B. Mehta, and Dharmakanta Saikia—were also active during this phase, collectively participating in efforts to address the economic and institutional challenges facing Assamese filmmaking in the late 1980s.
1990s The year 1990 marked a transition period in Assamese cinema. Filmmakers experimented with new themes, stronger realism and socially conscious storytelling. Several notable films were released, representing both established directors and emerging voices of the 1990s era.
2000s The 2000s saw the rise of multiple notable directors - Bhaskar Hazarika (who directed
Kothanodi and Aamis), Prerana Barbarooah (who directed Spirit of The Graceful Lineage,
Tumi Aahibaane, Echoes of Sunshine, etc), Deep Choudhury (who directed
Alifa and Fishing Samurai), Monjul Baruah (who directed Anur: Eyes on the Sunshine, Kaaneen, etc), etc.
2010s , 2016
The 2010s saw the release of four Assamese blockbusters- Mission China directed by
Zubeen Garg which earned nearly ₹60,000,000/- (Six Crores) in the box office,
Tumi Aahibane directed
by National Award Winner Prerana Barbarooah which earned nearly ₹20,000,000/- (Two Crores) in the box office, Raamdhenu directed by
National Award Winner Munin Barua which earned nearly ₹20,000,000/- (Two Crores) in the box office and Priyaar Priyo'' directed by National Award Winner Munin Barua which earned nearly ₹20,000,000/- (Two Crores) in the box office. The 2010s also saw the rise of young independent voices in Assamese cinema, with unique films such as
Local Kung Fu (
Kenny Basumatary),
Village Rockstars and
Bulbul Can Sing (
Rima Das) garnering accolades both nationally and internationally. Also was released the underground
cult short film
Muktir Mohakabyo. The 2010s also saw the loss of many prominent personalities like director
Munin Baruah, actor
Biju Phukan, musician
Bhupen Hazarika, who have played an important role in shaping Assamese cinema.
2018 In 2018,
Village Rockstars won the Best Feature Film 'Swarna Kamal' award at the 65th National Film Awards in
Delhi, hence becoming the second Assamese film after
Halodhia Choraye Baodhan Khai to win this award. The film also won awards in the categories of Best Child Artist, Best Audiography and Best Editing. The film is also selected for India's official entry to
91st Academy Awards making it the first film from Assam to do this. On 28 July 2018, another Assamese film
Xhoixobote Dhemalite received three awards for Best Film, Best Actress and Best Music in 3rd Love International Film Festival in
Los Angeles, US. The film also got 8 nominations. It also became the first Assamese film to release in the US.
2019 In 2019, two commercial hit movies were released. one is Kanchanjangha and another is Ratnakar.
Kanchanjangha, released on 5 September become the fastest Assamese film to cross the ₹1 crore mark by doing so in 4 days. The film also crossed the ₹2 crore mark within 1 week after its release. It collected total 7 crore rupees. After six weeks it collected a total 10 crore.
Ji Galpar Ses Nai was made in 2019 and yet to be released, is the first anthology film directed by Prodyut Kumar Deka, Prashant Saikia and Utpal datta.
2020 Kenny Basumatary directed the films
Jiya,
Local Utpaat and
Local Kung Fu 3, which were mildly successful.
Local Utpaat earned more than 1 Crore, becoming the fifth film to do so in Assamese cinema.
2021 In 2021, the Assamese film
Bridge, directed by Kripal Kalita, received strong critical acclaim and performed well in limited theatrical release.
2022 In 2022, the romantic drama
Emuthi Puthi attracted significant attention and saw success across Assam, marking a strong post-pandemic recovery for Assamese cinema.
2023 In 2023,
Sri Raghupati became one of the most successful Assamese films of the decade, grossing more than ₹13 crore worldwide and setting multiple regional box-office records.
2025 In 2025,
Roi Roi Binale, the final film of Zubeen Garg, became the highest-grossing Assamese film of all time. The film broke all previous records, collecting more than ₹42 crore at the box office. == List of highest-grossing Assamese films ==