What was 'Sitaare Zameen Par's budget? Aamir Khan reveals
What's the story
Aamir Khan recently appeared on Matthew Belloni's podcast, The Town, where he shared some surprising details about his film Sitaare Zameen Par. He revealed that the film was made on a budget of $14 million (around ₹122 crore), which is much higher than its reported budget of $11 million (around ₹96 crore). The increase in cost was due to his decision to buy out his partners after rejecting an OTT deal.
OTT negotiations
Why did the cost increase?
Khan revealed that his partners were not in favor of his decision to reject the OTT deal. He said, "I had to pay a price also because I had a partner with me earlier, and they weren't very keen on this rash idea of mine." "They didn't like me turning down money, so they preferred that I buy them out." This led to the film eventually costing him between $14 million and $15 million (between ₹122 crore to ₹133 crore).
YouTube success
Success on YouTube
Despite the high cost of production, Khan's film is reportedly doing well on YouTube via a pay-per-view model. When asked about its performance, he said, "It's doing better. It's doing way beyond what YouTube expected. I'm not allowed to give numbers." He added that both he and YouTube are separately promoting the film on the platform. The Lagaan actor also revealed that there is a marketing budget for both the theatrical and YouTube releases of Sitaare Zameen Par.
Indie support
Opportunity for indie filmmakers
Khan also emphasized that his decision to take the pay-per-view route will pave the way for other filmmakers to distribute their films successfully. He said, "I think that one of the biggest steps that we've already taken is that today my film is actually available across not just India, but outside of India." "It also is a great opportunity for younger filmmakers who are making films, indie films which don't have huge stars." "They just don't get distribution in theaters."
Film details
Cast and crew of the film
Directed by RS Prasanna, Sitaare Zameen Par features Khan, Genelia Deshmukh, and 10 debutants: Gopi Krishna Varma, Aroush Datta, Samvit Desai, Vedant Sharma, Naman Mishra, Ashish Pendse, Ayush Bhansali, Rishi Shahani, Rishabh Jain, and Simran Mangeshkar. The film's music is by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy with lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya. According to industry tracker Sacnilk, the film has collected over ₹260 crore worldwide so far.