‘Imagine If ‘Dhurandhar’ Released In 15000 screens’: Aamir Khan Says India Needs Better Theatrical Infrastructure (EXCLUSIVE)

Across the globe, India has been the largest producer of films for several years. But despite being the second-oldest film industry in the world, with Bollywood ruling the roost, the number of screens in the country is way fewer when compared to China and the USA.

While many filmmakers and actors have expressed their concern about this, in an exclusive interview with Variety India, Aamir Khan reiterates why India needs more cinema halls to compete with China, which is a theater hub.

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“India's a huge country; it's like a continent, it's massive and each state has its own language, its own culture, its own films. So, I really feel that in a country like India, we need many more cinema halls. More outlets, so that we can reach a lot more people. If you want to compete with China, for example, they have, I think, one lakh screens,” explains Aamir. 

“We are at 9,000 screens. 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,” the “Sitaare Zameen Par” star emphasizes.

Sharing the example of Ranveer Singh starrer “Dhurandhar,” which is currently Bollywood’s all-time highest grosser, Aamir Khan wonders what would have been the collections of this spy-action thriller had it got more screens. “Let's take the example of “Dhurandhar,” which has done around Rs 1,000 crore. Now, imagine if it had been released in not 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,” says Khan.