Actor Aamir Khan has spoken about high-priced tickets for films across multiplexes in India and how this is inconvenient for movie-goers. Speaking with Pinkvilla, Aamir drew a contrast with earlier times when “the masses could actually afford to watch the movie”. When asked about a solution, Aamir said that “low-cost cinemas coming out in districts that don’t have a single theatre will make a big difference to the movie business”.
Aamir Khan on high ticket prices in multiplexes
Aamir said that the rent of theatres “is so high, and the infrastructure that is built in multiplexes, obviously, the ticket price goes up again”. He talked about earlier times, when people could watch a film without shelling out a lot of money. “This medium was called a mass medium at one time, and there was a reason why it was a mass medium. It’s because the masses could actually afford to watch the movie. I feel today it is very difficult for the mass audience to watch a film in theatres unless you go to single screens,” he said.
Aamir talks about solution for this
Aamir shared that the solution for those in the movie business is to introduce “low-cost cinemas”. “I miss that you know; when we see there are 90,000 screens in China and 35,000 screens in the USA. India is such a big country and our population is so big. Why we cannot provide service to every area? If I could do it through cinemas, then I feel that low-cost cinemas coming out in districts that don’t have a single theatre will make a big difference to the movie business,” he added.
Will Aamir start his own theatre chain?
When asked if he would begin his own theatre chain, Aamir denied, saying that if he got into the business of cinemas, he wouldn’t be able to divide his time. He added that he likes to stay on the “creative side, but it is definitely something I am encouraging”.
Aamir’s latest film
Aamir’s recent release is Sitaare Zameen Par, directed by RS Prasanna. The film released in theatres on June 20 and is a spiritual sequel to the critically acclaimed 2007 movie Taare Zameen Par. The film features Aamir in the role of a basketball coach, who mentors ten differently-abled individuals. It is produced by Aamir alongside Aparna Purohit and Ravi Bhagchandka.
Sitaare Zameen Par also stars Genelia D’Souza alongside newcomers Aroush Datta, Gopi Krishna Varma, Samvit Desai, Vedant Sharma, Ayush Bhansali, Ashish Pendse, Rishi Shahani, Rishabh Jain, Naman Mishra, and Simran Mangeshkar. It is written by Divy Nidhi Sharma.
