Bollywood actor Aamir Khan has announced a unique digital release for his latest film Sitaare Zameen Par, which hit theatres in June. The film will premiere on YouTube under a pay-per-view model, where users will be required to pay Rs 100 to watch the movie. Aamir described this initiative as “janta ka theatre,” aimed at making cinema more accessible to audiences across India. The film will be available digitally starting August 1.
YouTube as a Platform for Wider Reach
At a press conference on Tuesday, Aamir explained the reasoning behind this decision. He stated, “Only 2-3 percent of the country’s population watches films in theatres. That’s when I thought that YouTube is the platform that almost everyone uses, you can access it on any device. Almost 55 crore Indians visit YouTube in a single day,” he said. “I thought that if I land on YouTube, I can showcase my content everywhere and because of UPI, all Indians can easily pay for it.”
Aamir acknowledged the presence of streaming platforms but expressed dissatisfaction with their current model. He said, “Ever since Indian cinema has existed, it has only existed on one model, pay per view. We visit the theatre once, we pay once and we watch the film once. So I decided to replicate the same model that has been used in theatres to digital devices.”
Making Cinema Affordable and Accessible
The actor revealed that he had launched his YouTube channel, Aamir Khan Talkies, a few months ago with this vision. “It has always been my dream to reach every Indian at a reasonable price so they can afford it,” he said. “I have called Aamir Khan Talkies ‘Janta ka theatre’ because it’s actually a personal theatre for people.”
Aamir further added, “For filmmakers, they can find a big audience with this. And for the audience, they can watch a film at a reasonable price.”
He also announced that after Sitaare Zameen Par’s digital debut, the entire library of Aamir Khan Productions will eventually be added to the platform. Additionally, episodes of Satyamev Jayate will be made available for free, along with curated content from independent filmmakers who will be provided a platform to showcase their work.