Page 40 - The Indian EYE 081525

EYE ON BOLLYWOOD AUGUST 08, 2025 | The Indian Eye 40

Aamir Khan’s New Script for

Bollywood: YouTube Over OTT,

Villages Over Multiplexes

With Sitaare Zameen Par breaking records in theatres, Aamir Khan is rewriting

Bollywood’s distribution playbook — skipping OTT giants and betting

on YouTube’s pay-per-view model to take cinema into every home and village

OUR BUREAU multiple languages for its YouTube release, target-
ing not just domestic audiences but also viewers
Mumbai
in the US, UK, Australia, and 35 other countries.
or decades, Bollywood has followed a famil- The theatrical run has already sparked positive re-
iar script: theatrical release, a few months of views from diaspora communities, who now have
Fwaiting, and then an OTT premiere on one an easier, more affordable way to share the film
of the major streaming platforms. But Aamir Khan, with friends and family abroad.
never one to stick to industry norms, has decided to Aamir’s strategy also aims to tackle one of
tear up that script. His latest film, Sitaare Zameen Bollywood’s biggest headaches: piracy. The pay-
Par, a sports drama and sequel to his beloved Taare per-view model, he argues, offers a legitimate,
Zameen Par, is now set to make its digital debut — affordable alternative that undercuts pirate sites.
not on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Disney+ Hotstar “We have appointed anti-piracy teams to remove
— but on YouTube Movies, under a pay-per-view pirated links, but making films available legally at
model. low prices may help reduce piracy. It gives hope to
The film is available from August 1 at `100 creative people,” he said.
in India and in 38 other countries at locally tai-
lored prices. The model is simple: anyone with a A MODEL FOR THE FUTURE?
YouTube account and internet access can watch it, amir isn’t just releasing Sitaare Zameen Par
whether on a smartphone in Mumbai or a smart this way; he’s thinking long-term. His vision
TV in a small-town home in Bihar. For Aamir, it’s Ais to use the YouTube pay-per-view model for
about dismantling barriers to access. “Think about future projects and even open it up to other cre-
it,” he told reporters. “If a family of four watches ators, with some content offered for free and other
the film for `100, that’s `25 per person. You can work priced affordably. “Cinema at home, on your
even invite your neighbours. You can show it to the time, with your friends or your village — that’s the
whole village — `1 per person.”
convenience I’m offering,” he explained.
A BREAK FROM OTT It’s a move that could ripple through the in-
Aamir Khan dustry. For years, Bollywood has struggled with
han has been candid about why he avoided the limited reach of theatres and the exclusivity
the OTT route. “I never liked that model. I of OTT. If Aamir’s gamble works — combining
Knever understood it,” he admitted. Stream- there are roughly 4,500. Compare that to Ameri- theatrical prestige with direct, affordable online
ca’s 35,000 screens or China’s 90,000. We have too
ing platforms have their global reach, but they also few theatres. This is a way to reach villages and access — it might become a viable middle path for
come with exclusivity clauses, high subscription homes directly.” films that deserve a broad audience without being
costs, and algorithms that decide what people see. locked behind subscription paywalls.
Aamir wanted something different — a platform al- THE FILM AND ITS APPEAL The success of Sitaare Zameen Par abroad is
ready in everyone’s pocket. “We have YouTube. It’s already encouraging. Diaspora audiences often
preloaded on devices, people already use it. The in- irected by Prasanna, Sitaare Zameen Par face delays or inflated ticket prices for Indian films;
ternet penetration in India is deepening every day, follows Aamir as a basketball coach train- YouTube’s model removes those hurdles. In the
UPI payments have made transactions easy, and Ding neurodivergent children — a heart- US, UK, and Australia, where Indian communities
now is the right time to expand our cinema to the warming continuation of the themes of empathy are both large and internet-savvy, the film’s August
entire country.” and inclusion that made Taare Zameen Par an en- 1 release is expected to generate strong viewership.
By making Sitaare Zameen Par available during classic. Co-starring Genelia Deshmukh, the With Sitaare Zameen Par, Aamir Khan isn’t
on-demand on YouTube, he believes he can reach film released in theatres on June 20 and quickly be- just telling a story about underdogs overcoming
audiences that multiplexes and OTT platforms came a box-office hit, resonating with audiences in the odds; he’s also acting out that narrative in real
cannot — the 97% of India’s population who nev- India and overseas. life — challenging entrenched industry models,
er set foot in a cinema hall, often because there The film’s universal themes have helped it betting on accessibility over exclusivity, and invit-
isn’t one nearby. “India has about 8,500 to 9,000 travel far beyond the Hindi-speaking belt. Subti- ing the whole country, from city skyscrapers to the
screens, half in the southern states. For Hindi films, tled and dubbed versions are being rolled out in smallest villages, to join him in the front row.

www.TheIndianEYE.com