At the time of Sitaare Zameen Par’s release and even in the weeks that followed, superstar Aamir Khan had firmly maintained that the film would skip an OTT release. Instead, he announced plans to stream it directly on YouTube after its theatrical run. However, the actor now appears to have reconsidered that decision, as the film is gearing up for its digital premiere on a streaming platform.
Sitaare Zameen Par set for OTT outing
On Monday, it was announced that Sitaare Zameen Par will be released on Sony LIV. The film was released in June last year, and will be heading to streaming eight months after its theatrical outing.
As per the statement from the streaming platform, “the release marks a special milestone for the platform, as Sitaare Zameen Par becomes the platform’s first Hindi theatrical film to premiere on the service.” The date of the film’s digital premiere is not out yet as the platform shared the update, stating that it will be “released soon.”
Directed by RS Prasanna, the film stars Aamir Khan, Genelia Deshmukh, Ashish Pendse, Aroush Datta, Aayush Bhansali, Rishi Shahani, Gopikrishnan K Varma, Rishabh Jain, Vedant Sharma, Simran Mangeshkar, Samvit Desai and Naman Misra. The film is produced by Aamir Khan and Aparna Purohit, under the banner of Aamir Khan Productions, with B. Shrinivas Rao and Ravi Bhagchandka serving as producers.
Said to be the spiritual sequel to the 2007 hit film Taare Zameen Par, Sitaare Zameen Par tells the story of a basketball coach who receives a DUI and is mandated by the court to teach a group of neurodivergent individuals the sport. The film opened to good reviews upon release and was a box office success, earning over ₹265 crore worldwide.
What did Aamir say about film’s OTT release
The release of Sitaare Zameen Par sparked chatter around the theatre vs OTT debate, with the actor saying that the film will never be released on any streaming platform. Instead, he opted for a pay-per-view model via YouTube.
Aamir ruffled a few feathers when he spoke against the OTT release of the film before 6 months after its theatrical release, but released it digitally on YouTube in 6 weeks. It was released on YouTube on August 1 after its theatrical release on June 20. The film was available for rent for ₹100.
In July last year, Aamir held a press conference in Mumbai to state that Sitaare Zameen Par will skip OTT release and be released directly on YouTube. The actor apologised for lying about it for weeks while promoting the film during its theatrical release and defended his stance on pay-per-view vs subscription models.
He said, “I fold my hands and apologise because I lied when I said Sitaare Zameen Par wouldn’t be released on YouTube. I did it because I had no other choice. I had to protect the film’s theatrical business. I am very loyal to theatres, my life began with cinema. So, I have always strived to protect the theatrical business of my films. Still, I apologise because I had to lie. Otherwise, my dreams for this film would’ve ended there.”