Indian star Aamir Khan on a poster of the Bollywood film ‘Sitaare Zameen Par’.
Aamir Khan Productions
Weeks after the film created ripples among critics and audiences, Sitaare Zameen Par is set for an unusual digital debut for a big Bollywood film. Aamir Khan has announced the digital release of the film – it will be available on rent on YouTube Movies starting August 1. The film will be available for just $1.1 in India. It will also be available in 38 other markets including USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Germany, Spain, Indonesia, and Philippines, among others. The rental price will be localized for each market. Directed by RS Prasanna, the film features Khan alongside Genelia Deshmukh, Brijendra Kala and Dolly Ahluwalia.
Watch Sitaare Zameen Par on YouTube Movies
Ushering a new era in Bollywood, Aamir Khan has kept his promise of not selling his latest Hindi film to an OTT platform. However, he apologized for ‘lying’ earlier that the film will not be released on YouTube. Sitaare Zameen Par will be available on YouTube Movies starting August 1 on a pay-per-view model. The film will be available on the YouTube channel ‘Aamir Khan Talkies’.
Indian star Aamir Khan on a poster of the Bollywood film ‘Sitaare Zameen Par’.
Aamir Khan Productions
In a press release for the digital debut of Sitaare Zameen Par, Khan insists that he has been “struggling with the challenge” of reaching the audience who may not have access to theatres for geographical or other reasons. He says that after 15 years, “Finally the time for the perfect storm has come. With our government bringing in UPI and India becoming number one in the world in electronic payments, with internet penetration in India having grown dramatically and growing every day, and with YouTube being on most devices, we can finally reach vast sections of people in India, and a significant part of the world. My dream is that cinema should reach everyone at a reasonable and affordable price.”
How to watch Sitaare Zameen Par online: The new Aamir Khan film will be available on rent starting August 1. A YouTube search for Sitaare Zameen Par offers the audience an option to rent the film on YouTube Movies. In India, the price is $1.1. After the movie is rented, the platform allows 30 days to start watching it and the film is available to the user for 48 hours after starting to watch it. For those 48 hours, the user may view the film as many times as they wish.
Impact of Sitaare Zameen Par releasing on YouTube
For the past few years, especially since the pandemic outbreak, sales of digital rights have been a major source of revenue for film producers. A Bollywood A-lister like Aamir Khan rejected OTT deals worth millions of dollars, only to release his film on pay-per-view model – that signals a bold and brave step for the industry. It sets filmmakers free from the shackles of the window they are asked to respect before digital release. It gives the audience – fans of cinema – the freedom to choose films without having to pay for a platform.
The move also poses a challenge to the more popular OTT models – SVOD (subscription-based video on demand) and AVOD (advertisement-based video on demand). As filmmaker Hansal Mehta (Shahid, Aligarh) put it, this is not a threat, as much as another competition. “It’s a smart, forward‑looking move that deserves applause, not knee‑jerk criticism,” Mehta wrote on social media.
Country Managing Director – India, YouTube Gunjan Soni says, “The digital launch of Sitaare Zameen Par exclusively on YouTube underscores a significant step towards democratizing Indian film distribution at a global scale. YouTube is already a key digital destination for premium content, and we’re excited to offer filmmakers and content owners not only our unparalleled digital reach but also the control and flexibility to meet their audiences where they are. This launch is far more than a release – YouTube is laying out the red carpet for Indian cinema to stride onto the global stage.”
Sitaare Zameen Par
RS Prasanna’s Sitaare Zameen Par is loosely based on Champions (2018). The Spanish film, in turn, was inspired by American basketball coach Ron Jones. Khan plays a basketball coach in the film which features Deshmukh as his onscreen wife. The film is a spiritual sequel to Taare Zameen Par – Aamir Khan’s 2007 film which raised awareness on children with special needs. Amitabh Bhattacharya wrote lyrics for the film which has music by Ram Sampath.
When Sitaare Zameen Par had an exclusive theatrical release in June 2025, producers and exhibitors expressed ample support for Aamir Khan’s initiative. Reports claimed that Khan had rejected Netflix and Prime Video deals and went for the theatrical release without any OTT deal.
