Known for pushing creative boundaries and redefining storytelling in Indian cinema, Aamir Khan has rightly earned the title of “Mr. Perfectionist.” Over a career spanning three decades, he has portrayed
diverse characters from a quirky alien in PK to a retired wrestler in Dangal. Aamir Khan has consistently embraced roles that challenge conventional Bollywood norms.
But in a recent heart-to-heart conversation with ETimes, the actor revealed that behind every bold choice lies a sense of fear. He even admitted that he’s not fearless, unlike what most would assume. Aamir Khan also explained why Sitaare Zameen Par was released on YouTube with a pay-per-view model
When asked where his creative fearlessness comes from in an industry that often plays it safe, Aamir confessed, “No, no, there is a lot of fear. There is fear every time I am doing a film, and unfortunately, my choices are also unusual. But I can’t help but make them. When I was doing Dangal, I felt that dus saal baad karte hain, abhi mein itna mota, buddha dikh raha hoon. Just before that, I had done PK and Dhoom 3. People thought I was 30-35; they didn’t know I was 55. I thought, ‘Yeh film karoonga toh meri asliyat saamne aa jayegi’ (laughs). It was in my blood; I had to do it.”
How Aamir Khan Chooses Films
“I am not a fearless person. Before the release, you can’t assume the film will work, at least my films. There were exceptions like Ghajini and Dhoom 3, where you could say yeh kuch toh karegi. But with the unusual ones, it’s difficult to tell. I go with my instinct and my heart. So, I am not thinking about what the audience wants to see. I am thinking mujhe kya banana hai,” he said.
Cinema First, Then Theatres, Says Aamir Khan
As the industry shifts and evolves, Aamir is vocal about the irreplaceable value of cinema, more than any format or platform. He said, “My loyalty is to cinema. Cinemas came first, then theatres came to serve cinema. Earlier, there was no theatre. Cinema dikhane ke liye pardah laga dete the, and it would be shown through a projector. Phir tent aaya, wahan dikhate the. Then permanent theatres came about. Cinema is what I am protecting, and emotionally, I am very tied to theatres. I believe that the theatrical experience cannot be replaced by anything else.”
Why Is Aamir Khan Betting on Pay-Per-View?
Aamir Khan has adopted the pay-per-view model on his YouTube channel for his latest film, Sitaare Zameen Par. After its theatrical release in June, the movie is now available online for Rs 100 per view.
Reflecting on this approach, Aamir stated, “We are able to reach only 2-3 per cent of our population in the theatrical business, and this is for the biggest hit. For a film like Sitaare Zameen Par, around one crore people would have watched it by the end of its theatrical run. In the absence of enough theatres being built, this model is perhaps the only way to reach the vast majority of India, especially with rising internet penetration.”
Aamir Khan’s Sitaare Zameen Par
Directed by RS Prasanna, Sitaare Zameen Par tells the heartwarming story of Gulshan Arora (played by Aamir Khan), a hot-headed basketball coach assigned to train a team of adults with intellectual disabilities. What starts as a punishment soon transforms into a journey of acceptance, growth, and inclusion. The film is a spiritual sequel to 2007’s Taare Zameen Par and is an official Hindi adaptation of the Spanish hit Campeones.
