Aamir Khan Slams OTT, Explains Why Sitaare Zameen Par Will Release Only in Theatres

News18

4 hours ago

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Aamir Khan's next film, Sitaare Zameen Par, will be exclusive to theatres. He believes early OTT releases harm the cinema experience.
Aamir Khan has made it clear – his next film, Sitaare Zameen Par, will not be heading to any streaming platform anytime soon. In an exclusive interview with News18 Showsha, the actor-producer shared his thoughts on how the fast shift to OTT after the pandemic has affected theatre business. He explained that releasing films too soon online takes away from the cinema experience, and he strongly believes that good films deserve to be seen on the big screen.
In a candid conversation, Aamir Khan reflected on how the rise of OTT platforms has impacted the theatrical experience.
'I don't know any business where you offer your product, and if someone doesn't buy it, you tell them—don't worry, I'll drop it at your house for free in eight weeks," Aamir said, adding, 'It doesn't make sense to me. That's the reason many films aren't doing well in theatres."
He described the current situation as a 'famine and feast" model where either a few films do extremely well or most don't work at all. He believes the early OTT release trend has weakened the theatrical culture and, therefore, made a conscious choice to keep his upcoming film Sitaare Zameen Par exclusive to theatres.
'I believe in theatres. I believe in my audience. If you make a good film, people will come to watch it on the big screen."
When asked about Laal Singh Chaddha, which got a warm reception on OTT after a lukewarm run in theatres, Aamir said, 'If someone doesn't enjoy a film in theatres, they won't suddenly like it at home. Your opinion of the film doesn't change just because of where you watch it."
He also acknowledged that high costs at multiplexes — not just tickets but food and overall experience — discourage middle-of-the-road films, pushing audiences to wait for OTT. Despite this, Aamir is committed to making heartfelt cinema, even if it's not the most commercially obvious choice.
'After Laal Singh Chaddha, everyone told me to do an action film. But the story of Sitaare Zameen Par really touched me. When something enters my bloodstream, I can't ignore it. That's how it was with Lagaan, Taare Zameen Par, and Dangal too," he said.
He recalled how Lagaan happened because no one else was ready to produce it. He turned producer out of necessity and passion. He said, 'It wasn't a practical decision. Everyone said no, but I couldn't shake it off. That's how I became a producer—by accident."
On a parting note, Aamir emphasised that his choices have never been driven by trends, but by the emotional pull of a good story. 'I could have played it safe. But I can't do a film unless I feel it deeply. That's who I am as a creative person," he said.
Sitaare Zameen Par is a sports comedy drama film directed by R. S. Prasanna, and produced by Aamir Khan and Aparna Purohit. A spiritual successor to Khan's 2007 film Taare Zameen Par, it stars Khan and Genelia Deshmukh. It is a remake of the Spanish film Champions.
Aroush Datta, Gopi Krishna Varma, Samvit Desai, Vedant Sharma, Ayush Bhansali, Ashish Pendse, Rishi Shahani, Rishabh Jain, Naman Mishra and Simran Mangeshkar will make their Hindi cinema debut in Sitaare Zameen Par.
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