Bollywood actor Aamir Khan recently spoke about the need for more theatres in India. He also addressed the prevailing notion that audiences are only interested in watching action films on the big screen.
However, that isn’t true. He said if that were the case, movies such as Saiyaara and Sitaare Zameen Par would not have performed well at the box office. Aamir believes that people will watch a good film in theatre regardless of the genre. He also recalled how people warned him about doing Ghajini at a time when the action thriller genre was not working. However, contrary to people’s belief, the film worked!
While speaking with ETimes, Aamir Khan said, “I believe that we need theatres in tier-2 and tier-3 cities. The tier-2 cities have theatres, but as we go deeper, we don’t. I also feel that it’s not that people want to watch only action films in theatres that was the feeling for some time. If that were the case, SZP wouldn’t have done well, and Saiyaara wouldn’t have been such a success. These are phases that keep coming and going. When I did Ghajini, everyone told me that you are doing an action film at a time when this genre was not working. It worked. I think audiences are interested in watching films irrespective of the genre.”
Aamir also said that he hopes and believes that the theatrical business will start thriving again, and that the theatrical experience cannot be replaced by anything else. “When you are sitting in that dark space with 300 people around you, it’s a group experience where you laugh and cheer together. Imagine watching Lagaan, where the whole theatre is cheering… abhi woh experience aapko ghar pe baithke apne family ke saath bhi nahin milega. I am loyal to cinema first, and then to theatres, clearly in that order,” he said.
For the unversed, Ahaaan Panday and Aneet Padda starrer Saiyaara is rulig the box office currently. The film collected a whopping Rs 318.50 crore net in India in the first 24 days, and approximately Rs 531 crore in worldwide collection! Meanwhile, Aamir Khan and Genelia Deshmukh starrer ‘Sitaare Zameen Par’ was released in theatrs on June 20, 2025. After making Rs 276 crore worldwide, Aamir Khan’s Sitaare Zameen Par is currently available on YouTube for Rs 100 per view.
