Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
Forget Netflix and Prime—Aamir Khan just turned YouTube into India’s newest movie hall, offering ₹100 rentals for his latest film and possibly rewriting how Bollywood reaches its fans.
Only 2–3% of Indians watch films in theatres. Khan’s plan? Skip the rich, stream for the rest. With YouTube on every smartphone, he’s chasing audiences OTT platforms ignore.
One ticket, one phone, one community: Khan’s “janta ka theatre” model means even a village can legally screen a new release for pennies per person—without piracy, cables, or subscriptions.
This isn’t a one-film stunt. Khan’s entire library—past and future—is headed for pay-per-view YouTube. Dangal, Lagaan, and even rare family productions will stream without OTT gatekeepers.
YouTube paid nothing upfront. Khan’s betting on a revenue split, keeping creative and financial control. If this works, it flips the power away from platforms and back to producers.
Khan plans to onboard struggling filmmakers, promote their films, and let them keep most of the earnings. YouTube could become the new launchpad for India’s next generation of storytellers.
Khan’s no fan of OTT economics: rushed releases, bad deals, and limited reach. His model mimics a movie ticket, not a monthly fee—“a thousand steps for my audience, just one from them for the film.”
No Bollywood A-lister has ever tried this. A global, pay-per-view, YouTube-first release for a big film? It’s a commercial experiment at a scale that could redraw the digital map for Indian cinema.
If this clicks, expect producers to ditch licensing giants for YouTube’s global reach and data control. This isn’t just about one film—it’s a provocation to an entire industry.