Aamir Khan has shared his view on how he gets paid for movies, amid discussions about high actor pay in Indian movies. At a recent event, Aamir said that for more than 20 years, he hasn’t taken any fixed remuneration for his work. He chooses to share in the movie’s profits instead. This way, his films can be made without a big cost related to his pay. Aamir believes this gives him more freedom to be creative and makes it easier for filmmakers to get their projects made. When talking about making Taare Zameen Par, a movie about dyslexia that many weren’t sure about, Aamir said he loved the story and really wanted to make it. He explained that not including his fee in the budget helped make it possible because his movies can be made fairly cheaply, and they are sure to make that money back.

Aamir compares his profit-sharing arrangement to how artists used to be paid. He said it is similar to the old way that artists earned their income. He said that street performers play music and ask for money from the audience with a hat. People can pay if they enjoy it, or leave if they don’t. He makes money if his movies do well, but not if they fail. Aamir also said this way of working lets him do projects he cares about. This model frees him to make the movies he wants because costs are kept low, and there’s less pressure to make a lot of money back. They just need to earn back the 15-20 crores it cost to create the movie.

After taking a break after his movie Laal Singh Chaddha in 2022, Aamir is preparing to return to acting. He will be in Sitaare Zameen Par, directed by RS Prasanna, and he will also be seen in a cameo in Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Coolie which stars Rajinikanth in the lead role.