Actor-producer Aamir Khan has called for a nationwide push to build more cinema halls, stressing that India’s love for movies is not matched by its screen infrastructure. Speaking on day two of the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) in Mumbai, Khan said India's film industry cannot grow unless more people gain access to theatres.

“There are districts and vast areas in the country which don’t have a single theatre,” Khan said during a panel on “Studios of the Future: Putting India on World Studio Map.” “India has huge potential, but that can only be realised when you have more screens. If you don’t, people simply can’t watch the films.”

Khan highlighted India’s screen shortfall, noting the country has about 10,000 theatres—far fewer than China’s 90,000 and the U.S.’s 40,000, despite having a much larger population. Of those 10,000, he pointed out, nearly half are concentrated in southern India, leaving Hindi-language films with access to just around 5,000 screens.

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He emphasized that even the biggest blockbusters reach only a small slice of the population. “Only two per cent of Indians watch our biggest hits in theatres. Where is the other 98 per cent watching films?” he asked.

Khan also lamented that regions like the Konkan belt have no theatres at all. “People there hear about the films and see the buzz online—but there’s no way to watch them. That’s a very unfortunate situation,” he said.

Joining the call, Shah Rukh Khan, speaking at the summit's opening day, advocated for “simpler, cheaper theatres in smaller towns” to make cinema more accessible.

The session featured industry leaders including Ritesh Sidhwani, Dinesh Vijan, Namit Malhotra, PVR Inox founder Ajay Bijli, and Hollywood producer Charles Roven.

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