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When Zubeen Garg began his music career in the 1990s, he moved to Mumbai to explore some opportunities in Bollywood. There, he lent his voice to songs like ‘Ya Ali’ from Gangster, ‘Dilruba’ from Namastey London, ‘Dil Tu Hi Bata’ from Krrish 3 among others. But despite his success, the singer-actor eventually returned to Assam, citing disillusionment with the attitude of the mainstream Hindi film industry.
In an interview with POP Pavelopedia in January, the late singer opened up about his decision to leave Mumbai: “Mumbai has more attitude, and to get rid of that, I asked them to come here. I will die here [in Assam] like a king. I still have a home in Mumbai, but I don’t like the chaos. It’s just too much.”
Zubeen also recalled a turbulent period in his career when he defied the militant group United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA). “I was slapped by the police… by the army… But I told them, ‘One day, you’ll be in my security.’ I’ve seen bad times—very bad times. For a long time, there was heavy ULFA influence in Assam, and I was the only one who stood up to them. They tried to dictate everything. They told me, ‘You can’t sing Hindi or Bengali songs.’ I replied, ‘Who the hell are you? I don’t care.’ Then they threatened to shoot me. I said, ‘Okay, you shoot me, and I’ll shoot you.’ I am still like that. And now, they say I am like their brother. I live like a mafia here.”
While his defiance earned him respect, Zubeen admitted that his fearless nature also brought its share of troubles. When asked whether this attitude had been a burden, he was quick to clarify, “I don’t have an attitude—it’s self-respect. I live here like a king. I always say, ‘A king should never leave his kingdom, because when the king leaves, he is no more.’”
Zubeen Garg, 52, passed away in Singapore, where he had traveled as the Cultural Brand Ambassador for the North East India Festival, organised by the High Commission of India.
According to a statement from the festival organisers, Zubeen breathed his last at 2:30 pm on Friday at Singapore General Hospital. A publicity official from the festival shared: “We were informed that he had gone scuba diving and began experiencing breathing difficulties. Members of the Assam Association Singapore, who were accompanying him, acted quickly and rushed him to the hospital, where he was admitted to the ICU. Unfortunately, he passed away there.”
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