{"id":37311,"date":"2025-07-31T16:59:08","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T16:59:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/37311\/"},"modified":"2025-07-31T16:59:08","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T16:59:08","slug":"hansal-mehta-defends-aamir-khans-decision-to-release-sitaare-zameen-par-on-youtube-deserves-applause-not-criticism-bollywood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/37311\/","title":{"rendered":"Hansal Mehta defends Aamir Khan’s decision to release Sitaare Zameen Par on YouTube: \u2018Deserves applause, not criticism\u2019 | Bollywood"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Aamir Khan<\/a> made a surprising decision by announcing that he has opted to release his latest film Sitaare Zameen Par on YouTube. The spiritual sequel to the 2007 hit Taare Zameen Par is skipping OTT release, which is a route now all movies take. Sitaare Zameen Par will be released on YouTube on 1 August, six weeks after its theatrical release, and will be available to watch for \u20b9100.<\/p>\n

\"Hansal Hansal Mehta has come out in support of Aamir Khan. What Hansal said about Sitaare Zameen Par<\/p>\n

Filmmaker Hansal Mehta<\/a> has now tweeted in support of Aamir’s decision to release the film on YouTube, sharing that this move should be celebrated rather than criticised.<\/p>\n

His note began, \u201cAamir Khan releasing Sitaare Zameen Par on YouTube as a pay\u2011per\u2011view title after its theatrical run is not a threat to anyone. It\u2019s a smart, forward\u2011looking move that deserves applause, not knee\u2011jerk criticism.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018This isn\u2019t a war against theatres or streamers\u2019<\/p>\n

He continued, \u201cOur ecosystem is skewed toward instant gratification and a handful of giant spectacles. Theatrical windows are treated like rigid commandments, while OTT has become the only post\u2011theatrical refuge. So many thoughtful films vanish or languish. That\u2019s neither sustainable nor fair to the diversity of work we produce. If this model works, it will embolden more producers to back films that don\u2019t follow the herd mentality currently dominating the sector.\u201d<\/p>\n

He went on to add, “What this move actually does:<\/p>\n

1. Reclaims control for creators.<\/p>\n

When and how a film meets its audience should be a maker\u2019s choice not a gate\u2011kept decree.<\/p>\n

2. Adds a durable revenue stream.<\/p>\n

OTT can\u2019t be the only post\u2011theatrical option. Flexible windows + PPV create longer, healthier film lives.<\/p>\n

3. Democratises access.<\/p>\n

Reasonable pricing, easy payments, and YouTube\u2019s universal reach can take cinema beyond multiplexes and curated SVOD shelves.<\/p>\n

The long\u2011run upside: a healthier flywheel. If pay\u2011per\u2011view finds its footing at sensible price points, it creates a reliable mid\u2011tail revenue layer between theatres and subscription deals.<\/p>\n

That extra layer does three things over time:<\/p>\n

1. Recycles money back into risk.<\/p>\n

More cashflows after theatrical means producers can fund documentaries, first\u2011features, regional stories, and formally daring work\u2014not just \u201csafe bets.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. Builds habit and audience data.<\/p>\n

Direct PPV performance gives makers clearer signals about price sensitivity, genres, and regions. Better signals = better greenlighting.<\/p>\n

3. Expands the market, not just the share.<\/p>\n

When films are accessible on familiar rails (YouTube, UPI, simple UI), total paying audiences grow. A bigger pie allows more kinds of films to be made and sustained.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t a war against theatres or streamers. It\u2019s distribution reform. Theatrical windows should flex, not break; OTT should be an avenue, not the dependency. With reasonable pricing, ease of payment, and a clean UI, true democratisation stops being a pipe\u2011dream and becomes policy by practice.<\/p>\n

Celebrate experiments like this. They could be the bridge that lets more films breathe, travel, and be discovered on their own timelines, on audiences\u2019 own terms.”<\/p>\n

Aamir also added that he plans to release every film he has made under the Aamir Khan Productions banner on YouTube, including the films Lagaan (2001), Taare Zameen Par (2007), and Peepli Live (2010).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Aamir Khan made a surprising decision by announcing that he has opted to release his latest film Sitaare…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":37312,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[20236,49,48,75,27452,337,11938,25067,26046],"class_list":["post-37311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-aamir-khan","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-entertainment","tag-hansal-mehta","tag-movies","tag-ott-release","tag-sitaare-zameen-par","tag-youtube-release"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37311"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37311\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}