Aamir Khan has credited piracy with helping him build an audience in China, while highlighting shared values and similar experiences as the deeper reasons his films resonated with viewers there.
Speaking at the Singapore International Film Festival 2026’s “In Conversation With Aamir Khan” session, the actor recalled how 3 Idiots spread beyond India, reaching audiences in China and across East Asia through viewers sharing the film.
“3 Idiots broke out not only in China, but the entire East,” he said, “But actually, I have to thank piracy.”
“For me, my popularity in China is thanks to piracy. Had those Chinese kids not pirated the film and shared it, I don’t think that I would have got an audience.”
Khan made clear that his comments were not an endorsement of piracy, explaining that he believed in paying for what he consumed.
“I’m not an advocate of piracy. I like to pay for what I consume, whether it’s a film, whether it’s a glass of water, it could be anything. Whatever I consume, I like to pay for.”
He nevertheless acknowledged that piracy had worked in his favour, introducing his films to viewers who subsequently sought out more of his work.
“The first time I went to China, and I met a lot of film people there, I realised that they had seen seven or eight films of mine. And I was very shocked by that.”
Shared values between India and China
While piracy helped his films reach Chinese viewers, Khan said shared values explained why the stories connected so strongly. His remarks focused on the cultural and emotional relationship between Indian and Chinese audiences, rather than diplomatic ties.
“I think one of the reasons why my films have worked in China, piracy was the practical reason, but the deeper reason, is because I think Indians and Chinese have a very similar emotional key.”
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He added: “We have very similar values. Our values are very similar. Our ethics are very similar. And I think because of that, these stories resonated so strongly with the Chinese audience.”
For 3 Idiots, Khan pointed to the pressure children face over education and career choices, an experience he said audiences in both countries recognised.
“It told you that you can breathe, you can calm down. You don’t have to be an engineer to be successful in life. You can be a stand up comic and be successful in life. You have to follow your dreams.”
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That message, he suggested, struck a chord because young people and their parents were navigating similar expectations.
“The kids were under pressure in China, and the parents in India and China were dealing in the same way.”
Khan said the connection extended to Dangal and several of his other films. Watching the film with an audience in China, he recalled seeing reactions that mirrored those back home.
“I was watching Dangal in a theatre in China, and the audience was reacting as much as in India, because they are reacting to the very same things in the very same way.”
All images by Resonate Voices
