Aamir Khan, known for his groundbreaking choices in Bollywood, is again making waves. He’s decided to bypass the traditional OTT release for his upcoming film, ‘Sitaare Zameen Par,’ a move that follows his concerns about the impact of streaming platforms on theatrical releases. Instead, the movie will debut directly on YouTube.
The film is scheduled to premiere on the YouTube channel ‘Aamir Khan Talkies’ on August 1. Viewers will be required to pay Rs 100 to watch the movie. The release will extend beyond India, with availability in the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia, Germany, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Spain, with localized pricing. The film will also offer dubbed and subbed versions.
Explaining the decision, Aamir Khan shared, “For the past 15 years, I have been struggling with the challenge of how to reach audiences who do not have geographical access to theatres, or those who are unable to make it to theatres for various reasons. Finally, the time for the perfect storm has come… With our government bringing in UPI and India becoming no 1 in the world in electronic payments, with internet penetration in India having grown dramatically and growing every day, and with YouTube being on most devices, we can finally reach vast sections of people in India, and a significant part of the world.”
He added, “My dream is that Cinema should reach everyone at a reasonable and affordable price. I want people to have the ease of watching Cinema when they want, where they want. If this idea works, Creative voices can tell different stories, breaking geographical and other barriers. This will also be a great opportunity for younger creative people entering the field of Cinema. If this idea works, then I see this as a win-win for all.”
‘Sitaare Zameen Par’ features Genelia D’souza in a lead role, alongside Aroush Datta, Gopi Krishnan Varma, Vedant Sharmaa, Naman Misra, Rishi Shahani, Ashish Pendse, Samvit Desai, Simran Mangeshkar, Aayush Bhansali, Dolly Ahluwalia, Gurpal Singh, Brijendra Kala, Zeenat Hussain and Nikhat Khan in important roles.
