Short OTT window cannibalises theatrical business, says Aamir Khan

At a time when much of the Indian cinema has gravitated towards spectacle—where even mid-budget films seek digital security blankets—actor and filmmaker Aamir Khan has made a bold and an unthinkable choice—he has refused to release his latest film ‘Sitaare Zameen Par’ on any OTT platform, walking away from a reported Rs 125-crore streaming deal.

Reposing his faith in the theatrical experience, Khan—widely regarded as one of India’s finest actors, known for his versatility and famously known as “Mr. Perfectionist”—continues to chart his own course. He says he is guided not by numbers, but by instinct, emotion, and a deep creative conviction that what’s right for the story must come first.

The film, which explores the lives of neurodivergent children with humour, heart, and nuance, is a follow-up not just to his creative legacy but to his unwavering belief in cinema’s power to transform hearts.

e4m met the actor-director-producer on Wednesday, the day his film clocked Rs 75 crore at the box office within just five days of its release. But commercial numbers, he insists, were never his goal.

With high-octane blockbusters like ‘Pushpa’ and ‘RRR’ dominating theatres, what prompted him to choose a difficult genre and a ‘non-formula’ story? “Actually, Kanchan, you know, I have been the kind of person I am,” he begins, candidly. “If you see my earlier decisions also, they were not very practical decisions. I go a lot with how I feel emotionally towards the material—and that becomes a very important part of my decision-making.”

He recounts how many people discouraged him from taking up the film, especially after ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ didn’t do well. “People told me, ‘Don’t do the film. After COVID, people want big spectacle or action films in theatres.’ That’s pretty practical advice based on current trends.”

But for Aamir, practicality has rarely driven creative instinct. “Once that script goes into my bloodstream, until it comes out, I can’t do anything else.”

The story of ‘Sitaare Zameen Par’—an adaptation of a Spanish film—moved him deeply. “I found it to be a film that is so life-affirming, so positive. It makes you happy. It sensitizes us to neuroatypical people but that’s not the only thing it’s doing. It tells you a lot of things. It taps the good in you.”

He continues, “It's very funny but it also gently changes the way you look at people who are different from you. It presents ten neurodivergent characters in a new light we don’t often see in mainstream cinema. It changes the way you look at people who are different. It does a shift. You realise: what’s the big deal? Why am I being so judgmental?”

The actor explains, “For instance, one of the characters, Lotus, has a girlfriend who is a prostitute. The first time you hear about it, you may have a certain impression. But as the film goes on, you see her cheering for him, coming to pick him up when he’s late. That challenges your preconceived notions.”

He adds, “It’s not just about neurodivergent characters. It also talks about people on the fringes. A relationship between an older woman and her cook. Why can’t they have a partner later in life?”

The message, he says, is clear: “Let’s not be judgmental. Let’s be inclusive.”

Gut instinct or live data?

Khan has taken similar risks before with films like Lagaan, Taare Zameen Par and Dangal. What drives these choices, despite the odds? “Look, my practical side often tells me a film is the wrong one to do,” he admits. “Lagaan was a wrong film to do, practically. So was Taare Zameen Par. Even Dil Chahta Hai was an unusual film for its time. But my emotional side is in love with them.”

He adds, “I understand the practical side. It’s not that I don’t. But I’m not often able to base my decisions on what is practically correct. I base them on what I want to do as an artist, as a creative person. And that’s what drives me.”

So it’s always a gut instinct or does he rely on data as well? “Well, you know, we call it gut instinct and give it these names. But at the end of the day, what is instinct?” he muses. “Instinct is your mind calculating at very high speed the various data that is in front of you at any given point. It quickly goes through it—and you call it instinct. But actually, your mind has, in my case, 60 years of experience.”

“So yes, I do follow my instinct. But I’d say it's not just gut—it's my mind working fast with all the information I’ve absorbed in life. It’s not data as in numbers. It’s data as in things you've learnt through your life.”

This instinct—or perhaps, as he puts it, a fast-moving mind honed by six decades of lived experience—has been his quiet compass, steering him through some of Indian cinema’s most daring and defining projects.

'Industry neglected cinema that includes kids.'

How is the film doing commercially? “It crossed Rs 75 crore in the first five days,” he confirms. “I’m not very good at projections, so let’s see where it goes. But I’m happy with the collections. And I’m really happy with the kind of love the film is getting in theatres.”

He smiles, reflecting on the audience's response. “After very long, we’re seeing families come out, kids included. As an industry, we’ve neglected cinema that includes kids. So I’m really happy—not only with the business, but also the love it’s getting.”

Khan received emotional letters too—parents writing heartfelt posts on social media. How does that feel? “Yes, we’re getting tons of letters. Letters from people deeply affected by the film,” he says, visibly moved, "There was this one letter—when I read it, I was in tears. It was so beautifully written; you could truly feel the emotions of the mother as she was writing it. When you make a film and receive such a heartfelt response, it’s incredibly satisfying.

Not against OTT

Khan has reportedly walked away from a streaming deal with ‘Sitaare Zameen Par’ despite a Rs 125 crore offer. Wasn’t that a risk, considering that a significant chunk of urban audience is now hooked to digital screens?

“Well, I don’t want to put a number on it but I did walk away from the deals that were offered to me by OTT platforms,” he confirms. “I’m not against OTT at all. In fact, these platforms are doing great work. They’ve given a lot of work to actors, directors, creative people, writers. That’s a good thing.”

“But if the window between theatrical and OTT is too short, then it cannibalizes the theatrical business.”

In your view, what would be the ideal window between a film’s theatrical release and its debut on OTT? “It used to be six months. And we were fine at that time,” he says. “After COVID, it came down. Some films went directly to OTT. Some released in four weeks in the South, and in eight weeks in Hindi.”

“This window doesn’t suit me. So I said I don’t mind selling the film to OTT, but it will have to be after six months. They weren’t ready. They said: two months or no deal. So I said: no deal.”

“France mandates 8-month theatrical window before OTT release”

The tension between streaming platforms and theatres is global, Khan insists. Then how can we strike a balance among all stakeholders? “You’re absolutely right. OTT is here to stay. And the temptation for many producers to sell early will always be there. Most are hedging risk,” he says.

“Let me give you an example. In France, they came up with a legislation-you can’t release a film on OTT before eight months. Their usual window is one and a half years.”

Does he seek a similar law in India as well? He clarifies, though, “I’m not in favour of laws like that. I think businesses should find their own levels. Good sense should prevail.”

Then, with striking clarity, he adds: “In this field, if you're praying to Lakshmi, you're going to lose out in the end. You have to pray to Saraswati. You have to do what is creatively right. If you follow Saraswati, Lakshmi comes with her. But if you follow Lakshmi directly, in this field, I believe you will go wrong.”

And what happens if audiences stop buying tickets, choosing instead to wait for the film to stream at home?” he asks, then answers himself: “That’s the problem. You’ve already paid for your OTT subscription, right? So when I ask you to buy a theatre ticket, you think, ‘Why should I? I’ve already paid for it in my OTT package.’ That’s exactly what happens.”

“I don’t know which other product or service in the world is sold in this way. ‘Please consume—and if you don’t buy it, I’ll drop it at your house anyway.’ How does one do business like that?”

On TV’s decline

Reminded of how Uday Shankar, the former CEO of Star India, had once called ‘Satyamev Jayate’ one of the most defining TV shows of his tenure, Aamir recalls the pride the network felt despite not measuring success in TRPs.

“Uday was very proud of that show. He said, ‘Of course, I look at the numbers, but this is not what gives me sleepless nights. The impact of that show was so outsized—you can't value that in money.’ Not just externally, but even internally at the company. That show became a landmark for them.”

Yet, the television industry seems to have lost its creative way and is lagging behind—due to the emergence of OTT platforms. Any advice for the TV industry?

“I’ve only done one thing for television—Satyamev Jayate. Even then, I broke all the rules,” he laughs. “So I’m not sure I’m the right person to give advice.”

Do you even watch television anymore? “Not really,” he admits. “Not even IPL. In fact, I don’t watch much of anything. I don’t watch TV. I don’t watch movies. I don’t watch shows. I read.”

So who’s your favourite writer? “Oh, that’s a difficult question!” he laughs, the question clearly stirring a deep well of admiration. “There are so many great writers.” Then, after a brief pause, he adds with a glint in his eye, “But one of my favourite books—it may not be very well-known—is The Confederacy of Dunces. Have you read it?”

His smile lingers, inviting us into the eccentric world of John Kennedy Toole’s cult classic, published posthumously in 1980—a subtle nudge to discover a writer he clearly holds dear.

Will Aamir ever act in a web-series?

“Why not?” he says with a shrug. “If the right kind of material comes up and excites me, why not? I have no rules for myself as a creative person. I’m not against OTT platforms. It’s just this window between theatrical and OTT that’s too short for my liking. So I chose not to go on OTT, and as a result, I probably won’t ever come on OTT— because they will not increase the window from two months to six.”

He adds, “They told me, ‘If we do it for you, we’ll have to do it for everyone.’ I said, ‘I understand—and I’m not holding it against you. But it doesn’t suit me, so I won’t do the deal.’”

‘I like to surprise audience—and myself’

When most of your contemporaries are doing action and romantic movies, Khan has chosen different genres, always.

“I’ve always been like that,” Aamir says simply. “I move towards material that touches me, that I react to emotionally. Also, I like to surprise my audience—and myself. I’m not willing to do the same thing again and again. That’s why I don’t get locked into one genre.”

In an age of content abundance, how do you define ‘impact’? What moves you to choose a story? “It’s always emotion. I go with what moves me,” he answers.

“When I did Taare Zameen Par, there was no economic sense in it. I was making a story about a boy with dyslexia. People in India didn’t even know what that was. I was a big star, but I was entering halfway through the film.”

The commercial logic didn’t matter. “Just before that, I had done Rang De Basanti and Fanaa, and after that, I did Ghajini. Taare Zameen Par clearly wasn’t a ?300 crore film. I knew it was a small film. But it was important to me. I don’t think about business when a film like that comes my way.”

He smiles again: “It ties into my belief—I must follow Saraswati. I’ve always followed Saraswati. And my experience is: Lakshmi comes with her.”

On brand endorsements

People still remember your iconic ads—from ‘Thanda matlab Coca-Cola’ to ‘Life Jhingalala’ and Dream11 ads. What do you keep in mind before endorsing a brand?

“I’m very particular,” Aamir says. “If I’m not happy using a product, I don’t endorse it. Second, creativity has to excite me. If it’s just a regular ad—‘buy this, buy that’—it doesn’t interest me. I’m an entertainer. Whenever you see me, I must entertain you.”

He adds, “Even in my ads, I try to understand what the client is trying to achieve. Their sales should go up after signing me.”

Recalling one such success story, he shares, “A mobile phone brand (Samsung) came to me when they had just 2-3% of the phone market. Nokia was dominating at the time. I did several sessions with them to understand the product—and realised their technology was actually the best.”

“Patwardhan—yes, Pat—wrote that campaign. I’m very happy to say that by the time I stopped doing their ads, Samsung had a 60% market share.”

And yet, he gave it all up. “When Satyamev Jayate began, I had five brand deals. I cancelled them all, including this phone brand. I wasn’t doing anything wrong—but I didn’t feel it was right to be talking about social issues on Sunday morning and then selling watches or phones in the same breath. I lost money—but that’s what felt right. Saraswati over Lakshmi, again.”

On film marketing

On how important is marketing in the success of a film today, especially in the age of influencer promotions and social media, Aamir says thoughtfully: “I don’t see marketing as separate from storytelling. It’s part of the story. Let’s say something exciting happens to you and you want to tell people—at a party, you’ll first get everyone’s attention. You’ll stop the music. That is marketing.”

He continues, “If you have a story you want to tell, you’ll do everything to make people listen. For me, marketing is just that—part of storytelling. It’s creative.”

He points to Ghajini as an example. “We barely released anything. Just 30-second snippets of songs. You had to come to the theatre to watch the full version. That built curiosity.”

On his ground work

When asked about taking several breaks between films and what has silence taught him that stardom didn’t, Aamir replied: “I’ve always believed that after each film, I need time. I get exhausted. I feel like—bas! Too tough. I can’t do this again.

After a pause, he reflects: “For creative people, because we give so much output, we need input. I like to meet people, read, and travel. Through Paani Foundation and Satyamev Jayate, I’ve spent 12 years interacting with people at the grassroots. I don’t know any other creative person who’s had that kind of exposure. These are invaluable inputs—human stories from the ground.”