Sitaare Zameen Par OTT: Aamir Khan's Bold Move No Longer a Masterstroke?

Bollywood legend Aamir Khan's recent film Sitaare Zameen Par managed to do decent business at the box office, but it failed to reach the heights that Aamir Khan or the film's team wanted it to. The main reason is that, before the film's release, Aamir decided to say no to selling the digital rights of the movie on any platform, and this move raised many eyebrows.

Sure, exhibitors were elated, and they even held a function to celebrate Aamir Khan's bold move. Producers definitely need a safety net to release their movies in a phase where the audience's movie-going mindset has become completely unpredictable, and OTT platforms provide that safety net. This process also means that OTT platforms decide when a film should be released, and this practice has become increasingly normal across the country.

Sitaare Zameen Par OTT: What's the Update?

During this period, Aamir Khan's decision certainly drew a large audience; however, it is also causing industry insiders to question whether the risk is truly justified. Even Sitaare didn't do exceptional business for Aamir and his team to call it an extremely safe venture and go ahead with his initial decision to release the film straight on Youtube on a pay-per-view basis. According to the latest information, Sitaare's digital rights haven't been sold yet, and it remains to be seen how long the platforms will be interested in Aamir's film.

Also, it must be noted that not all producers are Aamir Khan in terms of financial backing. It's known to the world how the finances of a film work, especially in India, where there isn't a studio model like in Hollywood. In such a scenario, it becomes important for makers to have a safe option so that they won't incur huge losses and end up getting forgotten in the industry.

Considering this, is it safe to call Aamir Khan's No streaming plan more of a failure than a success? Sitaare Zameen Par surely received positive reviews, but it's important to note that it failed to reach the masses, and unless a film is commercially viable to that extent, OTTs should definitely be considered a safe bet for the majority of the producers.