Aamir Khan ditches OTT, releases ‘Sitaare Zameen Par’ on YouTube for Rs 100

New Delhi: “YouTube is laying out the red carpet for Indian cinema to stride onto the global stage,” said Gunjan Soni, Country Managing Director, YouTube India, announcing that Aamir Khan’s latest theatrical release, ‘Sitaare Zameen Par’, will be available on YouTube Movies starting August 1.

The release will bypass traditional OTT platforms and go directly to YouTube’s on-demand movie rental service, marking a departure from conventional digital distribution models. 

The film will be priced at Rs 100 in India, with localised pricing across 38 international markets including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, Singapore, and Indonesia.

Actor-producer Aamir Khan said the decision stemmed from a long-standing desire to reach audiences who cannot access theatres. “For the past 15 years, I have been struggling with the challenge of how to reach audiences who do not have geographical access to theatres, or those who are unable to make it to theatres for various reasons,” Khan said. “I dream that cinema should reach everyone at a reasonable and affordable price. I want people to have the ease of watching cinema when they want, where they want.”

He cited the rise of UPI, widespread internet access, and YouTube’s device penetration as key enablers of this distribution model. “If this idea works, it will allow creative voices to tell different stories, break geographical barriers, and build new audiences.”

Sitaare Zameen Par, described as a spiritual successor to Khan’s 2007 film Taare Zameen Par, stars Khan, Genelia Deshmukh, and ten actors with intellectual disabilities. The family drama will include subtitles and dubs in major languages to enable wider accessibility.

Soni said the launch aligns with YouTube’s long-term goal of becoming a platform for premium Indian content. “YouTube is already a key digital destination for premium content. We want to offer filmmakers and content owners reach and flexibility to meet their audiences where they are,” she said.

The platform’s movie catalogue, which includes Indian and international titles across genres and languages, continues to expand. YouTube noted that its fastest-growing screen in India for the last five years is Connected TV (CTV), driven by rising internet usage and mobile-first consumption.

Following Sitaare Zameen Par, Aamir Khan Productions plans to release more films on YouTube, including Lahore 1947, starring Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta, and Ek Din, featuring Junaid Khan and Sai Pallavi.