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Time of India
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
What do Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan think is holding back Bollywood's business? Superstars have a simple solution
India Lags Behind Global Cinema Leaders Faulty Business Model and Shrinking Theatrical Window SRK Advocates for Affordable Cinemas in Smaller Towns Summit Aims to Catalyze Change At the inaugural World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) in Mumbai, veteran actors Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan addressed one of the most pressing challenges facing the Hindi film industry—limited access to cinema halls across India. Both actors emphasized the urgent need to expand cinema infrastructure in order to bring films to a larger segment of the population and to reverse the industry's recent downturn at the box during the second day of the summit at a session titled Studios of the Future: Putting India on World Studio Map, Aamir Khan stated that a significant investment in cinema infrastructure is necessary if the country is to unlock its full potential as a global cinematic powerhouse. He pointed out that many districts across India still lack even a single compared India's current screen count—estimated at around 10,000—to those of countries with either comparable or smaller populations. The United States, with a third of India's population, has approximately 40,000 screens, while China boasts nearly 90,000. Within India's limited number of screens, he noted, only about half cater to Hindi films, as the rest are located in the southern regions of the country. This leaves Hindi films with access to just around 5,000 to the actor, the consequence of this disparity is evident in audience engagement. 'Only two per cent of the population in our country, which is recognised as a film-loving country, watches our biggest hits in theatres. Where is the rest -- 98 per cent -- watching a movie?' Khan asked. He highlighted that even regions such as Konkan lack theatres altogether, limiting access despite widespread also criticized the shrinking window between theatrical and streaming releases. He argued that this approach disincentivizes cinema attendance. 'You are killing your own business,' he said, adding that audiences are likely to wait for an OTT release if it is made available within a few weeks. Khan expressed concerns that such a strategy undermines the theatrical business model, even for high-quality welcomed the initiative of the WAVES summit, appreciating the government's move to foster a dialogue with the creative sector. He called for meaningful policies that would address long-term challenges and strengthen India's position in the global media and entertainment the opening day of the summit, Shah Rukh Khan echoed similar sentiments during a session titled The Journey: From Outsider to Ruler. When asked by filmmaker Karan Johar about how Bollywood could recover, Shah Rukh emphasized the importance of building affordable theatres in smaller cities and rural areas.'I still believe the call of the day is simpler, cheaper theatres in smaller towns and cities so that we can showcase Indian films in whichever language to a larger majority of Indians for cheaper rates. Otherwise, it's becoming very expensive, only in big towns,' he WAVES summit, held at the Jio World Convention Centre, is being promoted as one of the largest gatherings of professionals from across media and entertainment sectors. It is intended to support the emerging creator economy, integrating traditional media with digital platforms, AI, gaming, and new technologies. While the first two days focused on cinema, the following sessions will feature business meetings and broader public part of his panel, Aamir Khan was joined by leading producers such as Ritesh Sidhwani, Dinesh Vijan, Namit Malhotra, PVR Inox founder Ajay Bijli, and American producer Charles Roven. Together, they reinforced the need for strategic infrastructure development to ensure the long-term sustainability of Indian cinema
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First Post
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- First Post
Firstpost at Waves 2025: 'Only 2 per cent of population watches films in theatres, need to invest in more screens': Aamir Khan
On day two of the first World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) here, the 60-year-old actor participated in a session titled 'Studios of the Future: Putting India on World Studio Map'. read more Superstar Aamir Khan on Friday said India is a film loving country but the majority of its people lack access to cinema halls compared to countries like US and China which are way ahead when it comes to number of screens. On day two of the first World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) here, the 60-year-old actor participated in a session titled 'Studios of the Future: Putting India on World Studio Map'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Aamir said there is a serious need for investment in infrastructure to boost the industry's growth. 'My belief is that we need to have a lot more theatres in India and theatres of different kinds. There are districts and vast areas in the country which don't have a single theatre. Whatever issues we have faced over the decades is just about having more screens. 'And according to me, that is what we should be investing in. India has huge potential but that can only be realised when you have more screens across the country. If you don't, then people won't watch the films,' the actor said. Aamir said India is way behind the United States and China in terms of cinema screen count. 'For the size of the country and the number of people living here, we have very few theatres. I think we have around 10,000 screens. In the US, which has one-third the population of India, they have 40,000 screens. So they are way ahead of us. China has 90,000 screens. 'Now, even in this 10,000, half of them are in the South and the other half is in the rest of the country. So for a Hindi film typically, it is around 5,000 screens,' Aamir said. Even for blockbuster movies, only a tiny fraction of Indians are able to watch them in theatres, he noted. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Only two per cent of the population in our country, which is recognised as a film loving country, watches our biggest hits in theatres. Where is the rest – 98 per cent – watching a movie?' he asked. He also lamented that many areas in India, including regions like Konkan, have no theatres at all. 'People in those areas will hear about the films, will see the chatter online but there is no way to watch them… that's a very unfortunate situation. So the first thing we need to do is that we must have more screens,' Aamir added. On the first day of the summit, Aamir's contemporary Shah Rukh Khan had also batted for more theatres in the country. During the session, Aamir said the window between a movie's theatrical release and streaming debut is too small. 'You are killing your own business… Earlier, films would come in theatres and a year later on satellite. Then it became eight and six months later on satellite. So, as an audience I've a choice: I can watch the film in the theatre or I can wait for six months and watch it on satellite. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Today, if I'm selling you a product and I tell you, 'Please buy it from me and if you don't I'll come and drop it at your place in eight weeks'. This is the business model that we're currently following,' he said. Many people today don't prefer to watch movies on the big screen as they know that they can access it later on OTT, he added. 'In a price sense, in a country like India, it is a big deal. This is something that needs to be looked at. It is a funny business model. Then we talk about, 'Why are films not doing well?' Hello, you are telling the audience don't come, that's why they are not doing well,' Aamir said. The discussion about the quality of movies being made in Hindi cinema is a separate issue, he added. 'Whether your film is good or bad, this business model doesn't make sense to me. If I make a very good film, this business model still doesn't make sense to me. Currently, it is a faulty business model,' he said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Aamir praised the government for coming up with an initiative like WAVES, which is billed as the biggest gathering of the media and entertainment industry. 'This is the first time that any government has applied their mind and their emotions and said, 'Let's do something in media and entertainment. Let's make that powerful. Let's make India a leader in that.'' WAVES is aimed at giving a boost to the creator's economy taking shape across the world, integrating sectors like films, OTT, gaming, comics, digital media, AI, AVGC-XR, broadcasting and emerging tech. Held at the Jio World Convention Centre, the first two days focus on cinema, filmmaking, and marketing, while the next two days will witness business meetings and participation from the general public. Aamir hoped that the discussions during the summit will 'translate into policies'. 'I feel for the first time that this dialogue has started between the creative fraternity and the government. It's a very welcome start and with the correct kind of dialogue that we have with the government, we can actually come out with certain policies that have a deep and far ranging impact on the business in the creative fields.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD At the session, Aamir was joined by producers Ritesh Sidhwani, Dinesh Vijan, Namit Malhotra, PVR Inox founder Ajay Bijli and American film producer Charles Roven.
NDTV
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
WAVES Summit 2025: Aamir Khan Bats For Cinema Access Across India - "People Hear About Films But Can't Watch Them"
New Delhi: Actor Aamir Khan recently stated that India is a "film-loving" nation, but most of its population does not have access to cinemas. Speaking on the second day of the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES), the 60-year-old actor took part in a session titled Studios of the Future: Putting India on the World Studio Map. He stressed the need for better infrastructure to support the film industry's growth. He said, "My belief is that we need to have a lot more theatres in India and theatres of different kinds. There are districts and vast areas in the country that don't have a single theatre. "I feel that whatever issues we have faced over the decades is just about having more screens. And according to me, that is what we should be investing in. India has huge potential but that can only be realised when you have more screens across the country. If you don't, then people won't watch the films," he added. The actor said India lags behind countries like the US and China in terms of the number of cinema screens. He stated, "For the size of the country and the number of people living here, we have very few theatres. I think we have around 10,000 screens. In the US, which has one-third the population of India, they have 40,000 screens. So they are way ahead of us. China has 90,000 screens. "Now, even in this 10,000, half of them are in the South and the other half is in the rest of the country. So for a Hindi film typically, it is around 5,000 screens," Aamir shared. He pointed out that even the biggest movies only reach a small section of the population. "Only two per cent of the population in our country, which is recognised as a film loving country, watches our biggest hits in theatres. Where is the rest -- 98 per cent -- watching a movie?" he asked. He also highlighted that some regions, including the Konkan area, don't have any theatres. "People in those areas will hear about the films, will see the chatter online but there is no way to watch them... that's a very unfortunate situation. So the first thing we need to do is that we must have more screens," he concluded. On the summit's opening day, actor Shah Rukh Khan had also spoken about the need for more cinemas in India. "I still believe the call of the day is simpler, cheaper theatres in smaller towns and cities so that we can showcase Indian films in whichever language to a larger majority of Indians for cheaper rates. Otherwise, it's becoming very expensive, only in big towns," he said. The session also featured producers Ritesh Sidhwani, Dinesh Vijan, Namit Malhotra, PVR Inox founder Ajay Bijli and American film producer Charles Roven.
