New Delhi: Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan said he doesn’t have any biases against streaming platforms and would rather be happy as long as audiences relish movies, be it in theatres, on OTT or on ‘YouTube’.
Aamir spoke at the 23rd Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, which took place in Delhi on Saturday. His comments came after his last film, ‘Sitaare Zameen Par’, which garnered a positive response, skipped an OTT release after completing its theatrical run. It was later released on ‘YouTube’ via a pay-per-view (PPV) model for Rs 100.
Explaining his decision, Aamir said he wanted to introduce a new model for the films. “I was doing it alone; I wasn’t doing it as an industry move. It would be nice if the industry collectively tried to create a window for the pay-per-view. It will be helpful to the industry,” he said.
When asked about British star Hugh Grant’s critique of streaming platforms detracting from the communal joy of cinema, Aamir said he isn’t ‘agnostic’ about the existence of the OTT medium.
“I’m not as judgmental. I feel all platforms are good. I’ve enjoyed watching films and shows on OTT as an audience. As an industry, we should reach a position where we are mature enough that we allow the consumer to decide where he wants to consume and how, that’s the ideal thing. Any industry cannot survive on rules and regulations; it’s not that by law they should go to the theatre to watch the film. For me, where you watch my material is not that important as long as you watch it, because I’m making material for people to watch and enjoy it. So, I’m not agnostic that OTT should not be there.”
Aamir rather hails the ‘digital’ boom in India and said it’s important to make the right use of it. “In fact, digital has become part of our lives. If you’re not existing on digital, you’re pretty much not around. People don’t know if you’re there; you’re not relevant anymore. With technology, you should move ahead, but it should be used to your advantage as opposed to a disadvantage. Worldwide, you’ve different platforms like theatres, pay-per-view, OTT and satellite. I feel it is up to the audience,” he said.