'Had Dhurandhar released in 15000 screens...': Aamir Khan says India lacks theatres, needs more to compete with China

Aamir Khan rued the lack of cinema halls in India, saying films like Dhurandhar would earn even more had the country had the kind of infrastructure China did.

Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan has rued the lack of theatres in several parts of India, saying the country needs more cinema halls for big films to do bigger numbers at the box office. In a new interview, Aamir gave China’s example and said that if a film like Dhurandhar had received the wide release that Chinese films do, it would have done even bigger numbers.

'India needs more cinema halls'

Aamir Khan spoke about India's lack of theatres with Dhurandhar's example.

Speaking with Variety India, Aamir addressed the need for more cinema halls in India, saying the country has just 9000 screens currently, compared to around one lakh in China. What is the comparison? We are one-tenth their size in outlets. Which is why one big film when in China does huge business; it does two billion US dollars. Just in China, not in the rest of the world. Just in China, big films do that kind of business. The big films over there do business worth billions of dollars. I am talking of US dollars. So, when we increase our number of screens, you'll see the business expand at the grassroots level. The base of your pyramid will go wide,” Aamir said.

The 60-year-old actor used Dhurandhar as an example of just how big Indian films can go if they have more screens at their disposal. “Let's take the example of Dhurandhar, which has done around ₹1,000 crore. Now, imagine if it had been released not in 5,000 screens but in 15,000 screens. Massive! So, this is what I'm trying to say. The real change will come when the number of screens goes up. Because there are so many districts in India right now that don't have a single screen,” Aamir added.

Dhurandhar is one of the biggest Indian films ever, grossing ₹1000 crore ($115 million) in India and selling 4 crore tickets. Starring Ranveer Singh, the film is directed by Aditya Dhar. A sequel - Dhurandhar: The Revenge - will release in March.

Aamir was last seen on the big screen in Sitaare Zameen Par last year. The sports drama grossed ₹265 crore worldwide and was a moderate box-office success. He also had cameos in Happy Patel and Rajinikanth’s Coolie.