Aamir Khan had to buy out partner on Sitaare Zameen Par for choosing non-OTT release, invested ₹122 crore in it

Aamir Khan revealed the budget of his recent film Sitaare Zameen Par on a podcast while discussing why he opted for a release on YouTube over OTT.

Actor-producer Aamir Khan recently revealed that he had to buy out his partner to release Sitaare Zameen Par on YouTube over OTT. On The Town podcast, he revealed the film’s budget and spoke about how the film is doing after its digital release on YouTube now. Here’s what he said.

Bollywood actor and producer Aamir Khan had released Sitaare Zameen Par on YouTube after its theatrical run. (Sunil Khandare/ANI)

Aamir Khan on buying out Sitaare Zameen Par’s partner

Aamir said on the podcast that the initial cost for his share in Sitaare Zameen Par was ₹96 crore, but the price went up significantly after his partner wasn’t happy with his ‘rash idea’. He explained, “This film cost us $11 million ( ₹96 crore). I had to pay a price also because I had a partner with me earlier, and then they weren’t very keen on this rash idea of mine. They didn’t like me turning down money, so they preferred that I but them out. So, the film has cost me over $14 million, let’s say between $14 and $15 million ( ₹122-131 crore) is what the cost of the film for me is."

When he was asked about how the film was doing on YouTube, he replied, “It’s doing better. It’s doing way beyond what YouTube expected. I’m not allowed to give numbers, so I’m afraid I won’t be able to give any numbers right now. I hope that I make the money back, and right now both YouTube and I are separately promoting it on the platform.” He also hinted that he’s getting better than the traditional 50-50 split between filmmakers and theatres on YouTube after its digital release, apart from stating that the platform is also chipping in for the film’s marketing budget now.

About Sitaare Zameen Par

RS Prasanna’s Sitaare Zameen Par is a spiritual sequel to the 2007 hit film Taare Zameen Par. The film stars Aamir and Genelia D’Souza in lead roles, apart from debutant actors who are differently abled. It made ₹267 crore worldwide during its theatrical release. It was released on YouTube on 1 August after its theatrical release on 20 June. 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.