Bollywood’s Mr. Perfectionist is rewriting the rules of Indian cinema — again. Aamir Khan has revealed that his upcoming film Sitaare Zameen Par will follow a Pay-Per-View (PPV) release model on YouTube, marking a bold shift in how mainstream Indian films are distributed and monetized.
Aamir Khan talks about why Pay-Per-View will be ‘game-changer’; says, “Cinema has followed pay-per-view in theatres and I just wanted to extend it to YouTube”
In a candid interaction with Business Today, Khan spoke at length about what drove this radical decision. “I was trying to find a way to bridge the gap between cinema and the common man,” he said, pointing out that traditional theatrical releases only reach 2–3% of India’s population. For years, the actor-producer toyed with various ideas to expand reach — only to shelve them due to timing and logistical constraints. But now, he believes, “the perfect storm” has arrived.
The three key drivers of this transformation? UPI, internet growth, and YouTube. “I think, when the government brought in UPI, that really transformed the payment system in the country. From a cash payment system, almost all of us have shifted to an electronic mode of payment, digital payments” Khan said. “Most of all, our buying happens on our phones. And all the payments that we make, India is the number one country in electronic payments,” he added.
Adding to that is the dramatic rise in internet penetration, which he says has now reached “every corner of the country.” But the final piece of the puzzle came in the form of YouTube — a platform Khan believes has truly democratized access to content across generations. “My mother uses it, I use it, my children use it. YouTube is on every device — smartphones, smart TVs, tablets. It’s pre-installed, it’s global, and it’s accessible,” he insisted.
“The electronic payments have now become a norm. Internet penetration is strong.
And YouTube is one platform that actually gives you, not just in India, but all over the world. Because YouTube is popular all over the world. So when these three things came together, I realized that now is the time,” Khan asserted.
That’s why Khan is launching Sitaare Zameen Par as a YouTube Pay-Per-View film, allowing viewers to pay a nominal amount and stream the movie from the comfort of their homes — without subscriptions or additional apps. Interestingly, he explains that cinema has always followed a pay-per-view model. “You pay once to watch a film in a theatre. I just wanted to extend that exact model to YouTube.”
With this move, Aamir Khan is not only disrupting the distribution model, but also potentially paving the way for a more inclusive, accessible future of Indian cinema — one click at a time.
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