Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan recently disclosed a surprising fact about the reach of major Indian cinema releases, stating that even blockbuster films manage to connect with only 2 to 3 percent of the country’s population. This revelation highlights significant challenges in the accessibility of cinema across India’s vast demographics.
Limited Audience Reach Despite Box Office Success
In a conversation with Business Today, Aamir Khan reflected on data he encountered nearly twenty years ago, which remains accurate today. He explained that highly popular films such as 3 Idiots, Dangal, Animal, and Pushpa draw just about 3 to 3.5 crore viewers to theaters nationwide, a small fraction compared to India’s overall population.
“Even the most successful films like 3 Idiots, Dangal, Animal, or Pushpa manage to attract only around 3 to 3.5 crore people to theatres,”
—Aamir Khan, Actor-Producer
“That’s a mere fraction—between 2 and 3%—of India’s total population.”
—Aamir Khan, Actor-Producer
Infrastructure Challenges Behind Limited Cinema Access
Khan, known for his thought-provoking films, expressed frustration with the persistent limitations preventing wider audience engagement. He noted that theaters alone cannot yet serve the entirety of India’s population, frustrating his goal of connecting with every citizen through storytelling.
“As a creative person, I want to connect with every single individual in the country. But theatres are simply not equipped to do that right now,”
—Aamir Khan, Actor-Producer
While movies like Pushpa have a broader reach due to multi-language releases, Hindi-language films still face infrastructural restrictions that have stayed constant for nearly two decades.
“It’s been this way for the last 15 to 18 years, and it continues today. So, the issue isn’t the content—it’s the infrastructure,”
—Aamir Khan, Actor-Producer
The Need for Expanding Cinema Penetration Across India
Aamir Khan emphasized the uneven distribution of theater availability throughout the country, calling for more venues not only in urban centers but also rural districts where entire regions lack cinemas.
“There are entire districts without a single theatre,”
—Aamir Khan, Actor-Producer
“We need more density in theatre penetration—not just in urban areas but rural regions too.”
—Aamir Khan, Actor-Producer
He argued that expanding access isn’t solely a commercial concern, but one rooted in cultural inclusion. Cinema, as one of the most influential storytelling platforms, should be available to a much larger portion of the population.
“Cinema is one of the most powerful storytelling tools we have. If only 3% of the nation has access to it in theatres, what about the remaining 97%?”
—Aamir Khan, Actor-Producer
Industry Response and the Future of Indian Film Access
Aamir Khan’s comments have triggered widespread discussion on social media and within the entertainment sector about the urgent need to improve India’s cinema infrastructure. As streaming services continue to grow, his perspective underscores the importance of ensuring diverse audiences can experience Indian films in traditional theatrical settings.
Bollywood director Hansal Mehta praised Khan’s innovative approach to film distribution, particularly his recent pay-per-view release strategy on digital platforms, seeing it as a valuable reform rather than a threat.
“This is distribution reform, not a threat”
—Hansal Mehta, Filmmaker
Khan’s insights bring renewed focus to the barriers affecting the reach of Indian cinema and highlight the potential benefits of expanding theater access nationwide, shaping future discussions on cultural accessibility and industry growth.
