
Multiplex owners call Aamir visionary for theatre-only release of Sitaare Zameen Par
Actor Aamir Khan's decision for the theatre-only release of 'Sitaare Zameen Par' was welcomed by multiplex owners. The Multiplex Association of India (MAI) praised the actor's vision and belief in the magic of cinema.Kamal Gianchandani of PVR-INOX, who is also the MAI President, shared the statement by the Multiplex Association on X. He captioned his post as, "Thank You Aamir Khan...Sitaare Zameen Par".advertisementIn the joint statement, Gianchandani's quote read, "Aamir Khan has always been a filmmaker who puts the audience first. His decision to bring 'Sitaare Zameen Par' exclusively to cinemas is a significant show of confidence in theatres and the shared magic of the movie going experience."
The MAI president also called 'Sitaare Zameen Par' a "shining example of cinema's resilience and irreplaceable magic". "Indian exhibitors thank Aamir Khan for standing by theatres. As we continue to welcome audiences with renewed energy and world-class films, 'Sitaare Zammen Par' will remain a shining example of cinema's resilience and its irreplaceable magic," he added.Amidst the ongoing theatre vs OTT debate, Aamir's bold stance was also appreciated by Cinepolis India, CEO, Devang Sampat. While mentioning the actor's creative vision, Sampat stated, "Aamir Khan has always been a filmmaker who creates for the theatrical experience. His decision to back cinemas with 'Sitaare Zameen Par' is a significant moment for all of us."advertisement"It's not just a film release; it's a message of unwavering belief in theatres. We're incredibly grateful to Aamir Khan Productions for boldly standing by cinemas. 'Sitaare Zameen Par' is exactly the kind of film that brings people to theatres, thoughtful, moving, and made for a collective experience," he added.
The Multiplex Association of India thanked Aamir Khan for backing theatres. (Credit: X/MAofIndia)
'Sitaare Zameen Par' is Aamir's first release after 'Laal Singh Chaddha' (2022). He plays a basketball coach to a team of specially-abled children in the film. The film is directed by RS Prasanna and is a remake of the Spanish sports-drama 'Champions' (2018).Apart from Genelia Deshmukh, the film also marks the acting debut of Aroush Datta, Gopi Krishna Varma, Samvit Desai, Vedant Sharma, Ayush Bhansali, Ashish Pendse, Rishi Shahani, Rishabh Jain, Naman Mishra, and Simran Mangeshkar.Aamir has co-produced the film with Aparna Purohit, B Srinivas Rao and Ravi Bhagchandka.'Sitaare Zameen Par' is scheduled for release on June 20, 2025.Must Watch
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Indian Express
13 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Shah Rukh Khan embraces the cast and poses for pictures at Sitaare Zameen Par screening. Watch video
Just a day prior to the release of Sitaare Zameen Par, actor Aamir Khan hosted a special screening of his latest film for family and friends from the industry. Besides stars like Rekha, Javed Akhtar, Shabana Azmi, Vicky Kaushal and Jeetendra, Shah Rukh Khan also attended the event. Shah Rukh, who had previously met the cast of the film, walked the red carpet and greeted actors Vedant Sharma, Naman Misra, Aayush Bhansali and Aroush Datta, among others. SRK was spotted in a casual look, wearing track pants, jacket and a beanie. Aamir smiled in the background as the cast of the film hugged and posed with Shah Rukh. Watch | Aamir Khan and Gauri Spratt arrive hand in hand at Sitaare Zameen Par screening A post shared by SCREEN (@ieentertainment) Aamir Khan is making an attempt to bring back the traditional theatre viewing experience with Sitaare Zameen Par. He announced during the press run for the film that he doesn't want to release the film on OTT, and he wants people to come to the theatre with their friends and family to enjoy the movie. Staying true to his word, Aamir also rejected a Rs 120 crore OTT deal from Amazon Prime Video. According to trade tracker Sacnilk, the advance bookings for the film have reached Rs 2.32 crore without accounting for block seats. The total number with the block seats is Rs 5.76 crore. Watch | Sitaare Zameen Par screening: Rekha, Javed Akhtar, Vicky Kaushal and others rally behind Aamir Khan On the other hand, trade analyst Taran Adarsh told India Today that the film could very well make much more as the weekend dawns upon the makers. He said, 'The box office run (of Aamir Khan) currently depends on word-of-mouth. Since the promotion for the film is very light, now the film's success depends only on Aamir Khan's face-value. For the opening weekend, it could be around Rs 30 crore.' Directed by RS Prasanna, Sitaare Zameen Par features Aamir Khan, Genelia Deshmukh, Aroush Datta, Gopi Krishnan Varma, Vedant Sharmaa, Naman Misra, Rishi Shahani, Rishabh Jain and Ashish Pendse, among others. The story has been penned by Divy Sidhi Sharma, and the film has been jointly produced by Aamir and Aparna Purohit. Music for the film has been composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, and the lyrics have been written by Amitabh Bhattacharya.


India Today
28 minutes ago
- India Today
India's cinema halls struggle with dwindling footfalls
(NOTE: This article was originally published in the India Today issue dated June 23, 2025)Amidst the glitz and spectacle of the World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES), one topic weighed on the minds of most film industry stakeholders—the current crisis in the theatre business. 'I have always believed that India has too few theatres, given the size of the country and [number of] people,' actor Aamir Khan said at a session. 'Our biggest theatre hits have had footfalls of 30-35 million. That's 2 per cent of our population in what is a cinema-loving country.' Seated next to him was Ajay Bijli, founder of PVR Cinemas and managing director of country's biggest multiplex chain, PVR INOX Ltd. Bijli replied in jest, 'Main office jaata hoon [I better head to office to get work done].'advertisementThe world's most populous country has just about 9,000 screens, a number that has been steadily declining, largely due to the closure of single-screen cinemas. 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Five months into 2025, there has been only one that fits the bill—Chhaava, a period action drama on Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, which collected Rs 530 crore, a significant chunk of it coming from Maharashtra. Bollywood's sluggish start to the year cannot be attributed to just fewer big releases in the first half. Mid-budget films have also struggled to make an impact, with just a few exceptions such as Kesari-Chapter 2, Raid 2 and Jatt. At Cinepolis India, which has 186 of its 430 screens in Tier II and III centres, the situation is improving, but with a caveat. 'While overall attendance figures have recovered to near pre-Covid levels—85 per cent of 2019 level in 2024—this is primarily due to the increase in screen count rather than per-screen productivity, which is down 25-30 per cent,' says Devang Sampat, the managing director of the multiplex group. 'This disparity highlights the underlying challenges the exhibition sector faces. Ultimately, it boils down to the content the industry is churning out.' The chain's expansion strategy has seen it open cinemas in Kozhikode, Bhopal, Jaipur, Rajkot and Kannur, with plans to set up shop in Jhansi, Pondicherry and Jodhpur in a few DIVIDE Talk to any exhibitor and the conversation ultimately boils down to the lack of a steady stream of compelling films that can lure the audiences back into cinema halls. 'Nobody makes movies for the masses anymore,' says Yusuf Shaikh, whose family operates five single screeners in Gujarat that are just about breaking even. 'We are not ready to understand who our audience is or [have] ignored who they are.' An 'ABCD film', one that connects in all geographic centres, is a rarity, he says. Instead, he praises filmmakers in the South for working out 'their target audience and sale and recovery model' as well as marketing, which has resulted in a few films becoming hits even in the Hindi belt. 'In the South, actors have their own fan clubs. Even the music and trailer launch are events for them,' he no overlooking the fact that the South is way above the rest of India when it comes to big screen viewing. As per of the 6,877 theatres in India, 54 per cent are in the five southern states. Add Maharashtra, and the figure rises to 70 per cent. Screen density in the South too is much higher than the national average. Ashish Pandey, currently head, programming and strategic initiatives, at MovieMax, has been in the film distribution business for over two decades and has some understanding on why the likes of Andhra, Telangana and Tamil Nadu dominate. 'In the South, there's a culture of going to the cinemas. It's not like you are going for the sake of entertainment alone. It's also not considered demeaning to go to the cinemas. So, there's no hesitation,' he says. 'A regular audience comes regardless of which film is released. There's penetration of cinemas even in smaller towns.'advertisement But all is not hunky-dory even in the hero-worshipping South. If there's a Tourist Family (Tamil) or Thudarum or Alappuzha Gymkhana (both Malayalam) which succeeds, there's also a Kamal Haasan-Mani Ratnam's Thug Life, which failed to live up to the hype. Sunil Narang of Asian Cinemas feels some course correction is needed, especially when it comes to aspects such as the theatre-to-streaming release window. In the South, it's just 28 days, compared to 56 days in the Hindi belt. Steep ticket prices as well as those for food and beverage, he feels, are also deterring audiences. 'How can we have more screens when existing screens are not running?' he laments. 'Where are the movies? Where are the numbers? How will the theatres run?' As many as 30-40 single-screen cinemas in the South have closed in the past six months, he says. 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He has tied up with the state governments of Assam and Tripura to convert vacant town halls and panchayat houses into 300-seater cinema spaces. While the morning and afternoon hours are devoted to edutainment, the evenings are reserved for films. Tickets are priced at Rs 99 and Shaikh throws in a chai and samosa too.'What this country needs is cinema halls for the masses. I am planning 10,000 screens in the next two years,' he boasts, adding that he is already communicating with the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Delhi to launch more Janta properties. 'I am converting the pirate audience to the ticketed audience.' The ultimate endeavour, he hopes, is that there's a steady maintenance of average collections through modest outlets, which, in turn, helps build a loyal audience. It may not have swanky recliner seats or fancy food and beverage offerings, but what it can ensure is that the show goes on. A houseful one at to India Today Magazine


Time of India
32 minutes ago
- Time of India
Aamir Khan's son Azad stuns with grown-up look, almost matches dad's height at Sitaare Zameen Par screening with Gauri Spratt
Aamir Khan , who has been co-parenting his son Azad Rao Khan with ex-wife Kiran Rao since their separation in 2021, made a rare public appearance with both his son and his girlfriend Gauri Spratt at the special screening of his upcoming film Sitaare Zameen Par. The event, held on Thursday, marked one of the few times Aamir , Gauri, and Azad were seen together in public, and it was Azad who ended up stealing the spotlight. The Laal Singh Chaddha actor, who is returning to the big screen after three years, looked dapper in a cream sherwani, while his son Azad opted for a sharp deep-blue suit. Gauri, meanwhile, turned heads in a light green and blue sari. The trio posed for pictures in front of the film's poster, holding hands and smiling for the cameras. Azad, almost matching Aamir's height now, charmed everyone with his grown-up appearance and confident demeanour. Also present at the screening was Aamir's daughter, Ira Khan, who arrived with her husband Nupur Shikhare. Aamir and Gauri's growing public presence Aamir Khan introduced Gauri Spratt to the media on his 60th birthday earlier this year in Mumbai. Since then, the couple has been seen attending events together, making subtle yet steady public appearances. This screening was one of their most prominent outings so far. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025년 가장 멋진 RPG 게임을 지금 정복하세요 레이드 섀도우 레전드 Undo Aamir was previously married to Reena Dutta, with whom he has two children — Ira and Junaid — and later to filmmaker Kiran Rao, with whom he shares Azad. Despite their separation, Aamir and Kiran continue to co-parent their son amicably. About Sitaare Zameen Par Sitaare Zameen Par is touted as a spiritual sequel to Aamir's 2007 critically acclaimed film Taare Zameen Par. Directed by RS Prasanna , the upcoming drama sees Aamir in the role of a basketball coach who mentors a team of children with special needs. The film introduces several newcomers including Aroush Datta, Gopi Krishna Varma, Samvit Desai, Vedant Sharma, Ayush Bhansali, Ashish Pendse, Rishi Shahani, Rishabh Jain, Naman Mishra, and Simran Mangeshkar. The film is an official remake of the Spanish sports drama Campeones and is scheduled to hit theatres on June 20.