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Hindustan Times
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Aamir Khan on tough run of all film industries at box office: Take the decision, don't come to OTT before six months
With the release of his film Sitaare Zameen Par recently Aamir Khan has shut down the voices of those predicting Bollywood's doomsday. Aamir Khan The actor candidly opens up about sticking to his guns for its release on the next episode of the weekly show, The Right Angle with Sonal Kalra. The episode drops today at 7pm across Hindustan Times' YouTube channels. Excerpts: Aamir, you have been called the man of the moment... Right now, I am just relieved! Is it a relief because Bollywood has been having a tough run lately? Not just Bollywood, every language is; don't count the top hits like say, Pathaan, Jawan (both 2023) or Pushpa (2021), whether it's in the south or Hindi films. I am including Hollywood — this exists all over the world. Relief and happiness is what one has been hoping for in Bollywood, and you have spearheaded that. Lovely compliments are coming your way for Sitaare Zameen Par. What did Gauri (Spratt, girlfriend) say the moment she finished watching it? Itna pyaar mil raha hai iss film ko, people have fallen in love with it. They feel so happy when watching it. Gauri has really loved the film. She has been confident from the beginning. One has been hoping that theatrical viewing finds its mojo again... many are wondering why people don't want to come to theatres for films, isn't it? The quality of cinema hasn't changed in the last three to four years. Jaisi filmein 10 saal ya 8 saal pehle bann rahi thi, quality abhi bhi wahi hai. Kuch achchi hoti thi pehle, kuch buri. The difference is, earlier, films would come to OTT six months after release. If you give me an offer — come to theatres ya free mein ghar par dekho, main kahan dekhunga? World over, film industry ke log sar kyun khujla rahe hain, mujhe samajh nahin aa raha. Simple solution hai: if people want us to return to square one, studios and producers will have to insist, 'We won't sell to OTT before six months.' Phir dekhiye dhandha kaise badalta hai. OTTs zyada paisa de rahe hain, ek safety crutch mil raha hai producers ko. Koi risk nahin lena chah raha hai. Also read: Sitaare Zameen Par movie review: Aamir Khan's heartwarming film stumbles, then soars to score a basket in the 2nd half Are you hopeful that other producers will be able to sustain the risk you have taken? We have to decide for ourselves. I have made it very clear to my audience: I will stick to the old pattern of releases. OTTs have given me healthy offers to bring the film out within two months of its theatrical release. Woh mujhe manzoor nahin. For me, OTT is no longer an option as a producer. Every producer has to do this — if things need to change, mere akele se cheezein nahin badlengi. Haan, mere liye badal jaayengi, but industry ke liye karna hai toh industry ko step lena padhega. You have always stayed under the radar, but several people feels Aamir only comes out of hibernation when he has a film releasing... Very true. I am a creative person, I get lost in my work. Main film banaun ya interview doon? Sachin Tendulkar ko aap pitch par bolte ho kya 'Interview do, batting baad mein karo'? Mujhe kaam toh karne do! Uska risk yeh hai ki jab koi newsy cheez aati hai — you aren't on social media — you are giving people freeway to create the perception they want. Woh galat hai, I should correct that. People make false allegations and I keep quiet because I think my audience knows me, so farak nahin padhega. I am not a talkative person. While making a film, I am not available often to my family, too. At that time, I'm not thinking of interviews. As a journalist, I wouldn't disturb anyone in creative work. Zahir hai, jab film aayegi, main baat karna chahunga. Mera audience ke sath gehra rishta hai. Main har jagah ja ke bolunga, 'Meri film dekho'. Isme galat kya hai? Aap mujhse kyun complain kar rahe ho!
Hindustan Times
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Sitaare Zameen Par box office collection day 2 (updated live): Aamir Khan film shows improvement; collects over ₹20 cr
Sitaare Zameen Par box office collection day 2 (updated live): RS Prasanna's Aamir Khan and Genelia Deshmukh-starrer Sitaare Zameen Par was released in theatres this Friday. According to Sacnilk, the film that is a spiritual sequel to the 2007 sleeper hit Taare Zameen Par has collected ₹ 23.11 crore net at the box office in India, as of 7 pm. (Also Read: Sitaare Zameen Par worldwide box office collection day 1: Aamir Khan film beats Kesari Chapter 2, falls behind Sikandar) Sitaare Zameen Par box office collection day 2 (updated live): Aamir Khan's spiritual sequel has picked up business on Saturday.(PTI) As per the trade website, Sitaare Zameen Par is performing better on Saturday than Friday, bringing in ₹ 12.41 crore net in India so far. This takes its total collection to ₹ 23.11 crore net in India, as of 7 pm. The film brought in ₹ 10.7 crore net in India on Friday and seems to show improvement. Given the good reviews the film has gotten, it remains to be seen how much the film will bring in on Sunday and collectively in its first weekend. For comparison, Aamir's last film, Laal Singh Chaddha, has brought in ₹ 18.96 crore net in India in two days. Sitaare Zameen Par tells the story of a disgraced basketball coach called Gulshan (Aamir), who is mandated by the court to teach the sport to a group of neurodivergent individuals after a DUI. The film shows how, while initially sceptical and offensive, these individuals bring about a change in him. Genelia plays Sunita, his wife in the film. Aroush Datta, Gopi Krishnan Varma, Vedant Sharmaa, Naman Misra, Rishi Shahani, Rishabh Jain, Ashish Pendse, Samvit Desai, Simran Mangeshkar, and Aayush Bhansali made their debut in the film. The ensemble cast also includes Dolly Ahluwalia, Gurpal Singh, Brijendra Kala, and Ankita Sehgal. Hindustan Times' review of the film reads, 'Aamir is good at comedy, and here too he's back to that genre. He's at ease with his co-stars here, and the comfort translates'
Hindustan Times
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Sitaare Zameen Par worldwide box office collection day 1: Aamir Khan film beats Kesari Chapter 2, falls behind Sikandar
Sitaare Zameen Par worldwide box office collection day 1: Bollywood actor Aamir Khan made his return to the screen after three years with Sitaare Zameen Par, following the failure of Laal Singh Chaddha. Despite receiving positive reviews from audiences, the film had a slow start at the box office. It has surpassed the collection of Akshay Kumar's Kesari Chapter 2 but still trails behind Salman Khan's Sikandar. (Also Read: Salman Khan jokes Aamir Khan first offered Sitaare Zameen Par to him: 'Tab iska paperwork pe kaam chal raha tha') Aamir Khan's Sitaare Zameen Par takes a slow start at the box office. According to Sacnilk, Aamir's film earned ₹ 10.7 crore on day one of its release at the domestic box office. With ₹ 12.85 crore India gross and ₹ 7.15 crore overseas collection, the film's total worldwide collection now stands at ₹ 20 crore. The numbers are slightly underwhelming for an Aamir Khan film, especially considering his last release Laal Singh Chaddha, which failed commercially, still opened to ₹ 11.70 crore in India and ₹ 23.85 crore worldwide. However, the film has managed to surpass the day one haul of Akshay Kumar, R Madhavan and Ananya Panday's film Kesari Chapter 2, which collected ₹ 15 crore worldwide. Yet, it fell behind Ajay Devgn's Raid 2 ( ₹ 25.70 crore) and Salman Khan's Sikandar ( ₹ 26 crore). The film is expected to see a jump in numbers owing to the positive audience response. About Sitaare Zameen Par The sports comedy-drama is a spiritual sequel to Aamir's 2007 hit Taare Zameen Par. Directed by RS Prasanna, the film stars Aamir as a basketball coach who is tasked with training a team of neurodivergent people for a tournament. The film also features Genelia D'Souza. The film introduces 10 debutant actors: Aroush Datta, Gopi Krishnan Varma, Vedant Sharmaa, Naman Misra, Rishi Shahani, Rishabh Jain, Ashish Pendse, Samvit Desai, Simran Mangeshkar, and Aayush Bhansali. The ensemble cast also includes Dolly Ahluwalia, Gurpal Singh, Brijendra Kala, and Ankita Sehgal. An excerpt from Hindustan Times' review of Sitaare Zameen Par reads, 'The first half is slow and tests your patience. Aamir being angry with his new role, getting to know his special team, then struggling in his marriage with Sunita (Genelia Deshmukh) — there's a lot that eats up screen time and feels like lazy writing. There's the occasional laugh — pretty much what one saw in the trailer. The intermission point too isn't on a high. You settle into your seats after this, ready for a yawn-fest. But this is exactly when Sitaare Zameen Par miraculously finds its groove.'
Hindustan Times
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Is India's Water Blockade the Death Knell Pakistan Doesn't See Coming?
While the world focuses on military tensions and diplomacy, India executed a more devastating strategy: turning off the water tap. A quiet, bloodless war that slowly starves a nation — not with bombs, but by drying its rivers. India's calculated steps have been designed to weaken Pakistan from the roots upward. However, as Pakistan-backed terror attacks continue, the global silence is louder than ever. The main question still remains: When terror has a return address, and everyone knows it, why does the world choose silence over action? Unfiltered and fearless, from politics to power games, every episode brings straight answers to sharp questions. Join Hindustan Times' Kumkum Chadha as she digs deeper.
Hindustan Times
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Mani Ratnam fans get nostalgic for Nayakan, Thalapathi, Guru after lukewarm response to Thug Life
There was a time when Mani Ratnam defined the cultural zeitgeist of Tamil cinema – maybe even south Indian cinema at large. Even in an age of memes and GIFs, he remains relevant when shots of his old films are used in lieu of conversations. I mean, the image of Surya (Rajinikanth) looking heartbroken as the sun sets and his lover Subbulaxmi (Sobhana) walks away from him or the look Karthik (Madhavan) gives Shakthi (Shalini Ajith Kumar) as he locks eyes with her from a passing train are seared into any cine lover's mind. Which is why it's even more heartbreaking for fans when a filmmaker like Mani's craft is called into question. After a day of analysing the seemingly many ways in which his latest release, Thug Life, failed to impress, fans sat down for some introspection. Have they grown out of liking Mani's style, or did the filmmaker not live up to his own legend? If their posts on X (formerly Twitter) are anything to go by, the latter seems more than likely to be true. Pictures and clips from his old films like Nayakan and Thalapathi flood social media. After watching Thug Life, one fan on X posted their favourite scenes from Mani and Kamal Haasan's previous film together, Nayakan (1987), to remind everyone what both were capable of. They wrote, 'Look how beautifully Maniratnam crafted his own Godfather in Bombay. This cinematic masterpiece could never be recreated and will remains as the best gangster drama ever made in Indian Cinema. NAYAKAN - THE OG SAMBAVAM from Iconic duo.' Another posted key scenes that summed up Kamal's character, Shaktivel Naicker, aka Velu in the film, writing, 'Forever NAYAKAN. Absolute cinema! Peak Mani Ratnam.' Another hilariously posted a scene where Prabhu stops himself from slapping Rajinikanth, writing, 'Me trying to do maniratnam slander but suddenly remembering he was the one who made nayakan, thalapathy, iruvar, kannathil muthamittal, alaipayuthey. #ThugLife.' A fan posted a scene where Surya explains the plight of the poor to Arjun (Arvind Swamy) in Thalapathi (1991), writing, 'One film celebrated the day it released. One film celebrated on its rerelease. Thalapathi — Mani Ratnam's timeless classic made to last forever.' Some fans even got nostalgic for films Mani made in the early 2000s, like Kannathil Muthamittal (2002) and Guru (2007). 'What happened to this GOAT MANIRATNAM nowadays,' wrote one fan on X with sad emojis, posting a scene featuring Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai. Another analysed, 'In Kannathil Muthamittal climax when the lead characters have conversation. Setting has that cloudy look. In the end it starts raining. From that to this. What a downfall.' Thug Life stars Kamal Haasan, Silambarasan, Trisha Krishnan, Abhirami, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Ashok Selvan, Joju George, Nassar, Ali Fazal, Rohit Saraf and Baburaj. It marks Mani and Kamal's reunion for the first time after Nayakan. Hindustan Times' review summed up the film: 'Thug Life becomes a tiring watch after a while and it certainly fails to recreate the Nayakan magic on screen.'
