30 July 2025: Aamir Khan, who latest film Sitaare Zameen Par released in theatres in June, has announced that the film will have its digital release on YouTube under the pay-per view model, where every user will have to pay Rs 100 to access the film. Aamir introduced this model as ‘janta ka theatre’ and claimed that this will make cinema more accessible to the audience. Sitaare Zameen Par will be released digitally on August 1.
At a press meet on Tuesday, Aamir claimed that only 2-3 percent of the country’s population watches films in theatres. He said that ever since the introduction of UPI, digital payments have become quite convenient for Indians and he believed that this was the right time to land on a digital platform. “That’s when I thought that YouTube is the platform that almost everyone uses, you can access it on any device. Almost 55 crore Indians visit YouTube in a single day,” he said and added, “I thought that if I land on YouTube, I can showcase my content everywhere and because of UPI, all Indians can easily pay for it.”
Aamir acknowledged that while streaming platforms have been around for a while, he was never convinced with the model that they brought in to showcase Hindi films. He said, “Ever since Indian cinema has existed, it has only existed on one model, pay per view. We visit the theatre once, we pay once and we watch the film once. So I decided to replicate the same model that has been used in theatres to digital devices.”
He shared that it was with this intention that he launched his YouTube channel Aamir Khan Talkies a few months ago. He also claimed that with the price of Rs 100 (for Sitaare Zameen Par), the film becomes accessible for masses. “It has always been my dream to reach every Indian at a reasonable price so they can afford it,” he said and added, “I have called Aamir Khan Talkies ‘Janta ka theatre’ because it’s actually a personal theatre for people.”
Aamir also shared his belief that this could be a “win win for all”. “For filmmakers, they can find a big audience with this. And for the audience, they can watch a film at a reasonable price,” he said.
Aamir said that Sitaare Zameen Par will be launched on August 1 but eventually, the entire library of Aamir Khan Productions will be available on the platform. He added that there will be some content that will be provided free of cost, including episodes of Satyamev Jayate, and they will also be curating films from independent filmmakers and provide them with a platform.
Summary :
Aamir Khan announced Sitaare Zameen Par will premiere digitally on his YouTube channel from August 1 as a ₹100 pay‑per‑view—no OTT release.