Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 30 (ANI): Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan has said that he has decided to release his sports drama 'Sitaare Zameen Par' on the Aamir Khan Talkies' YouTube channel.

He highlighted that doing so will help reach a wider audience.

The film will be available from August 1 on YouTube Movies on demand at an accessible price, skipping other digital platforms entirely. It will be priced at Rs 100 in India and will also be available in 38 other countries, including the US, UK, and Australia, with prices tailored to local markets.

Speaking to ANI, Aamir shared the reason why he decided to launch a pay-per-view model through his new YouTube Channel and how it will be beneficial for the audience.

'It's my effort to reach as many people as possible in our huge country. Our films are released in theatres. The biggest hit of Hindi cinema is watched by 3-3.5 crore people in theatres. This 2-3 per cent of our population is seen in theatres. This is for our biggest hit. How will the rest of the population watch our films? We don't have that many theatres. Our country is huge. There are many areas with no theatres. This is a way to connect with the entire population. Our effort is to reach every house and village.'

He praised the government for making this initiative possible.'This is possible today because two to three things happened at the same time. First, our government brought the UPI payment facility a few years ago. This has made electronic payments easier. Most of us use electronic payments. India is number one in electronic payments in the world. The convenience of electronic payments has become easier. Internet penetration has become very deep. It is increasing every day. Third, we have a platform like YouTube. Everyone uses it. It has a lot of reach. All the devices, smart TVs, smartphones, and Tablets are pre-loaded with YouTube. Almost everyone is familiar with YouTube and uses it. All these things have come together. Now is the right time to expand our cinema to the entire country. At a sufficient price so that the family can watch the film together.'

The 'Lagaan' actor said, 'This is my effort to reach the audience. I think we have not been able to do this to date. In India, there are 8,500 or 9,000 screens, half of which are in the southern states. Films in their original languages are released there. Almost 4,500 screens are saved for Hindi films. In America, which has a population of one-third of our population, there are 35,000 screens. China jahan abaadi hai hamare jitni vahan of 90,000 screens hai... We have very few screens. We need more screens. In the absence of screens, I thought this was a good way to reach the people of our country. We can reach the villages and homes.'

'People can choose their place and watch the film according to their convenience and time. This is my effort to reach the cinema to every home,' he added.

On piracy attempts over his film Sitare Zameen Par, he says, 'We have appointed anti-piracy teams who remove pirated links from the internet... The pay-per-view model I'm introducing, where people can watch a film for Rs 100, may help reduce piracy... It also gives some hope to creative people... It will not bring any change to the theatre chain because the experience is completely different...'

Aamir shared that this approach allows people to watch the film at their convenience, thereby increasing its reach. He has decided to release his other films also on the platform 'We have started this model of pay-per-view...The cinema that we have been watching in theatres. In the last 100 years. Our audience is used to pay-per-view. We go to the theatre. We choose the film that we want to watch. We pay for it. We have been watching films like this. I am bringing this model online. If the theatre is not close to you. You can watch it at home. You can watch it on your time. You can watch it with your friends. You can watch it with your family. You can watch it with your village. This is the convenience of pay-per-view. The cinema that happens at home. It can be on your devices. On your phone. On your Tablet.'

The release will feature subtitles and dubbed versions in several languages to cater to a wider audience.

Speaking about Sitaare Zameen Par, it is a sequel to the blockbuster movie Taare Zameen Par. In this sports drama, Aamir Khan plays the role of a basketball coach tasked with training a group of neurodivergent children. The film also stars Genelia Deshmukh. Directed by Prasanna, it hit theatres on June 20. (ANI)