Bollywood actor Aamir Khan is famously known for skipping out on industry events – from award shows to red carpets. However, he doesn’t shy away from giving his opinion from where it matters the most, be it talk shows or podcasts. Touching the OTT nerve yet again, he shared why releasing Bollywood movies on OTT after an eight-week theatrical run might be doing more harm than good.

This comes after he released ‘Sitaare Zameen Par’ via a pay-per-view format on YouTube, rather than signing a deal with an OTT giant. In September, earlier this year, he shared that he rejected a Rs 125 crore offer for the film, but clarified how it works efficiently as a means to recover the budget for many makers.

Aamir on premature OTT release

Speaking to Raj Shamani, India’s top-ranked podcaster this year, Aamir Khan shared that he blames the film industry, along with himself, for taking “steps in the past 15-20 years that make the business worse.” While this remark for a sarcastic take on a recurring problem in the theatrical release of film, Khan condemned the premature release of films on OTT platforms, “within 4,6 or 8 eight weeks.”

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This pattern can be seen popularly not just in Hindi cinema but several regional releases such as Rajinikanth’s blockbuster Coolie, KGF, The Girlfriend, Dude, Bison, and many others. In this list, there are Bollywood films like Param Sundari and Sunny Sanskari ki Tulsi Kumari, which didn’t perform as well and were released on OTT platforms in less than two months.

“The business has completely stopped,” shared Khan, attributing it to the easy availability of films on OTT platforms. “How can I sell one thing twice?” he remarked.

Laapata Ladies vs Sitaare Zameen Par

Produced by Aamir Khan and directed by Kiran Rao, Laapata Ladies rolled out in 2023. Receiving critical acclaim and India’s official submission for the Oscars, it became a huge movement in Bollywood. With no big names, action, romance, item songs, or mass appeal, Laapata Ladies soon entered the alt-cinema category. However, with the authentic Kiran Rao touch, the film grossed nearly Rs 25-27 crore worldwide.

Digressing to yet another career-defining film for him, Aamir Khan elaborated on the release process of Laapata Ladies. “The Netflix ‘N’ appeared ahead of Laapata Ladies’ release,” he shared. “The poster, trailer, and film indicated that the film will release on Netflix in a few weeks,” he shared a common observation. Elaborating on the effect of the film, he shared what goes on in the mind of an average moviegoer – ‘I will watch the film only if the word-of-mouth is very strong.’

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However, the knowledge of an OTT release on a platform one is subscribed to will be a huge factor stopping the audience from going to a cinema, Khan shared. “There were a lot of people who watched it [Laapata Ladies] on Netflix excitedly. The power of the film was visible on Netflix. Had it not released on Netflix, like I did with Sitaare [Zameen Par] the public would have known to watch it in theatres or none at all.”

Khan also shared that had it not been released on Netflix, instead of a Rs 20 crore ballpark, Laapata Ladies might have grossed over Rs 100 crore – ‘That’s the difference,’ he shared.