In a candid conversation, Aamir Khan opened up about his decision to keep Sitaare Zameen Par off OTT platforms. The actor-producer explained the practical reasoning behind the move and how it contributed to the film’s theatrical success, despite being a non-mainstream project.
This strategy that you have adopted of not giving Sitaare Zameen Par to OTT, I want to talk to you about that? Do you think that was one of the reasons why the film was a hit in the cinemas?
My whole approach to this issue is practical. I’m just following common sense, to be honest, you know, if, if I’m telling you to come to the theater to watch my film, and then I also tell you that it’s going to be on one of the OTT channels, which you’ve already subscribed to perhaps. How can I, in all honesty, invite you to watch the film and make you pay twice for it?
It is so true. You know, you go in and it comes on, it says Amazon or Netflix, and you feel mocked at because, you know, you’re going there, you’re making an effort. You’re paying money?
Correct! So I said that the first thing that, that I decided that I won’t, uh, release my film on OTT. I have nothing against OTT, Subhash. I have absolutely nothing. And at one time, uh, OTT releases were six months after the theatrical release. Now, if you have a window of six months, then there is no cannibalization. There’s no, there’s no overlap. But now it’s been reduced to two months, sometimes one month. Sometimes even less. And there is no clear policy on this any longer.
People were aware that Sitaare Zameen Par was not going to come on OTT in the near future?
And you see, this is also a film which is not expected to do well. You know, from a mainstream point of view, this is not a film that you expect people are going to throng the theaters and families are going to come out.
So you did Taare Zameen Par, you did Sitaare Zameen Par. Is there another one coming, a trilogy kind of thing on this?
No, to be honest, no, I’ve not thought of it as a trilogy. But if it comes, yeah, naturally, if it comes, then I wouldn’t stop it. But when we were planning this film, I, you know, I realized that it’s actually saying something in a similar area of inclusivity. I had no plans to make a sequel to Taare Zameen Par. This thing came organically. And when I saw it, I was like, you know, this is Taare Zameen Par, you know, 10 steps ahead. People have not forgotten the first film, Taare Zameen Par.
So you’re a great strategist then, are you?
Well, I don’t know whether I’m a great strategist. I just feel that, you know, I love all the films that I’m making.
Also Read: Aamir Khan’s Sitaare Zameen Par To Directly Release On YouTube; Know When And How To Watch
