Actor-filmmaker Aamir Khan is perhaps the most popular Indian star in China. Two of his films - Dangal and Secret Superstar - have been big hits in the country, breaking all box office records for Indian films. Speaking at the WAVES Summit on Friday, Aamir talked about the next step in leveraging China's soft power - a joint Indo-Chinese film production.

Aamir Khan on Indo-China film ties

At the inaugural World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES), Aamir spoke about how the audience in China reacts to an Indian film in the same manner that the Indian audience does. “I feel that the audience in China, their cultural flavours, and the emotions of people there are very similar to the emotions of Indians. So, the Chinese audience reacts in a very similar way to content like people do here. That’s what my experience was when I was watching a couple of my films on the big screen in China. The way the audience was reacting to Dangal. There was absolutely no difference between an Indian audience and the Chinese audience reacting to the film. It was almost identical.”

Aamir's Dangal made a record $192 million ( ₹1231 crore) in China, and an additional $10 million ( ₹64 crore) in Taiwan and Hong Kong. It remains the highest-grossing foreign film in China. His Secret Superstar also broke the bank in the Chinese markets, bringing in a combined $122 million ( ₹763 crore) from China and Hong Kong.

Aamir was participating in a session titled 'Studios of the Future: Putting India on World Studio Map' at WAVES 2025 on Friday morning. On stage, the actor also spoke about how he is in talks with Chinese friends for a possible collaboration

“I think collaboration with China is a win-win—creatively, from a business perspective, and on an emotional level. In fact, over the years, I have been in discussions with my friends in China and we have often explored the possibility. Now, with WAVES coming in, it will give a further drive towards there. If you look at an Indo-Chinese film – a star from China and a star from India, that’s roughly half of the population of earth. So, you have a huge audience already for it,” he said.

About WAVES 2025

Aamir's session at WAVES also featured filmmakers Ritesh Sidhwani, Dinesh Vijan, and Namit Malhotra, along with PVR's Ajay Bijli and American producer Charles Roven. WAVES 2025 is being organised by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting as a platform to promote filmmaking and the business of cinema in India.

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