Aamir Khan Apologises For Lying About Sitaare Zameen Par's YouTube Release

On Tuesday (July 29), actor Aamir Khan held a press conference in Mumbai to announce that his latest film Sitaare Zameen Par will be available on YouTube movies-on-demand. He confirmed that the film will not release on any OTT platform, but will be available on YouTube from August 1 for Rs 100 in India. It will be available to watch in the USA, Canada, UK, Australia, Germany, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, and Spain, with localised pricing for each market. Earlier, Aamir denied reports of the film releasing on YouTube. At the event, he apologised for lying about it and defended his stance on pay-per-view vs subscription models.

Aamir admitted of lying when he said Sitaare Zameen Par wouldn’t be released on YouTube. He apologised with folded hands and gave the reason behind lying. He said he had no other choice as he had to protect the film’s theatrical business. "I am very loyal to theatres, my life began with cinema. So, I have always strived to protect the theatrical business of my films. Still, I apologise because I had to lie. Otherwise, my dreams for this film would’ve ended there," he said.

Aamir also said that there is "great difference between the pay-per-view model and the subscription model." "When I release a film after 8 weeks on a subscription model, people aren’t buying my film. They’re only subscribing to the OTT platform. It wouldn’t matter if someone wants to watch it or doesn’t by then. I don’t want Rs 125 crore from a big company, I want Rs 100 from my audience," he added.

Mr Perfectionist also said that he believes the subscription model is only "causing us harm."

Later, addressing the paparazzi, he said OTT platforms are mostly interested in buying films featuring big stars. "Where does everyone else go?", he questioned.

Before the release of Sitaare Zameen Par in theatres, Aamir said it won't release on any platform for at least six months.