Aamir Khan forged a new path for the digital release of Sitaare Zameen Par. He declined licensing offers from major subscription streaming services in favor of renting the film directly to consumers via YouTube. This allowed fans around the world to access the movie at a price cheaper than the cost of a monthly subscription.
I rented Sitaare Zameen Par on YouTube (review to come). I found the process pretty easy, though it somewhat depends on your intended playback method. Here’s what I did:
In the United States, Sitaare Zameen Par costs $6.99 to rent. I saved the film in my YouTube “Watch Later” playlist, so I accessed it from there. However, the easiest place to find it is at the Aamir Khan Talkies YouTube account in their Janta Ka Theatre playlist. Sitaare Zameen Par is in there along with other movies for rent. Here’s the current list with their US rental prices (note that Aamir charges more for movies where he’s the star LOL):
Dangal — $5.99
Lagaan — $5.99
Taare Zameen Par — $5.99
Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na — $3.99
Secret Superstar — $3.99
Out of curiosity, I checked how the prices compared to a few other Hindi movies available for rent on YouTube. Chak De India rents for $1.99, and Shabaash Mithu rents for $3.99 (in high definition, like the Aamir Khan films).
For playback, I opted to watch Sitaare Zameen Par via the YouTube app on my Apple TV. However, the film can’t be rented through the Apple TV app directly. I had to rent it via the YouTube app on my phone first before I could play it on the Apple TV.
Overall, the picture and sound quality are good, comparable to other subscription streaming services. Turning the subtitles on and off is annoying in the Apple TV app. It kept accidentally fast-forwarding the movie when I tried to reach the “closed caption” menu.
I used my phone to cast the film from YouTube to my Chromecast and found it much easier to access the audio and subtitle menus, as you have to pause the movie before interacting with other menus. Since you have to use your phone to rent the movie anyway, I’d probably just cast from my phone to the Chromecast and skip the Apple TV for future YouTube rentals.
I’m not sure if this new rental format will be an industry game changer, but I hope it gives filmmakers an alternative avenue to digital accessibility. The major streamers are being more cautious about licensing content, and smaller films struggle to find an online home as a result. At the right price point, this could help these movies widen their reach after their theatrical runs end (or allow them to bypass theaters altogether).