Aamir Khan says 'Sitaare Zameen Par' earned 20 times more than its normal business on Youtube: 'No problem with OTT'

Aamir Khan left everyone shocked as he decided to release his film 'Sitaare Zameen Par on YouTube through a pay-per-view model. Priced at ₹100 per watch and made available just six weeks after its theatrical debut, the release sparked debate as many questioned why Aamir bypassed streaming platforms in favour of YouTube.“I was scared for sure (of releasing it on YouTube),” Aamir admitted, explaining that his decision stemmed from a larger concern—the collapse of the exhibition ecosystem post-pandemic. He recalled how filmmakers, under pressure to recover mounting costs during the COVID-19 delays, sold films directly to OTT platforms. “I don’t want to blame anyone because their money was stuck. Not everyone can afford to wait this long,” he clarified.Speaking on the Game Changers podcast, the actor-filmmaker said that strong word-of-mouth films like Sitaare Zameen Par and Kiran Rao’s 2024 drama Laapataa Ladies often lose their theatrical audience because viewers know streaming will follow in just eight weeks. “In the short run, you can get away with this. But in the long run, this is going to bother you,” Aamir cautioned.“The film should at least get a fair chance in the theatre. If the film is bad, it won’t work anyway.

But if it’s a good one, it should work in theatres,” he stressed. Unlike global markets, Aamir pointed out, India doesn’t yet have a robust pay-per-view model between theatrical and digital release—primarily due to inefficient payment systems.Interestingly, this wasn’t Aamir’s first brush with the idea. “I remember I’d thought of releasing my films on pay-per-view back in 2011 after 3 Idiots,” he said. But back then, the tech wasn’t user-friendly.

“They didn’t have as much as YouTube, but there was enough reach. But the payment facility wasn’t very smooth. As per their system, you had to call on a number, then stay on hold for half an hour, then increase the balance in your phone to access the film.

No one can watch a film like that,” he explained.Looking at the larger picture, Aamir highlighted the need to expand theatrical reach in India. “3 to 3.5 crore, about two to three percent of our population watch movies in theatres.

What about the rest of them? We have a 140 crore population, but even if I restrict it to the Hindi-speaking population, we aren’t being able to reach even them,” he said.His solution? Building more theatres across the country, especially beyond metros. “So I wanted to increase the number of theatres in India. But that takes time, that takes licenses. Now, we’re also talking to the government to make the process of opening theatres more convenient. I feel we can do with more theatres, not in the cities where they’re already there, but at least one in every district. I feel there’s a scope for theatres, and that business will go deeper and deeper.

But if there aren’t enough theatres now, then what?”