Aditya Narayan became a taxpayer at age 7, was paid Rs 8 lakh for Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007: ‘Now, he won’t do a single episode for that money,’ says Bharti Singh

Aditya Narayan shared he was paid Rs 7,500 per episode for the singing reality show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007 at 18.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | September 25, 2025 10:05 PM IST

3 min read

Aditya Narayan Jha reveals his fees for SaReGaMaPa. (Photo: Aditya Narayan Jha/Instagram)

Aditya Narayan has been a familiar face in the entertainment industry since childhood. Son of legendary singer Udit Narayan, Aditya began his career as a child artiste before stepping into the world of music. As part of the famous Little Wonders troupe, he performed across the globe and, remarkably, became a taxpayer at the age of just seven.

In a recent chat with Bharti Singh and Haarsh Limbachiyaa on their YouTube channel Bharti TV, Aditya opened up about his early income and career milestones. He revealed that his big break as a host came with Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007. “I had to go through three rounds of auditions before being selected as host. They offered me Rs 7,500 per episode. Since we shot two episodes at once, I earned Rs 15,000 a day. I went crazy! I was living with my father, had no expenses, and suddenly I was spending Rs 75,000 every month. We did about 5–6 episodes per month,” he recalled.

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The sudden fame and money, he admitted, brought a bit of ego. “My attitude changed. I was just 18, earning so much. I did about 52 episodes and made around Rs 8 lakh in a season.” Bharti teased him, saying, “Now you wouldn’t even do a single episode for that amount,” prompting laughter.

Aditya Narayan confessed that he initially had no financial discipline. “I never saved a penny. But in the second season, my fees jumped to Rs 25,000 per episode, and that’s when I realised the importance of saving. Around that time, there was also this funny ‘competition’ between Dad and me. I was hosting on Zee while he was judging on Sony.”

Interestingly, his tryst with taxes began much earlier, thanks to his earnings as a child actor. “I paid my first tax at seven. I don’t remember if I even had a PAN card, but I definitely remember paying taxes,” he recalled.

Aditya Narayan also revealed that his highest payday as a child came from Jab Pyaar Kisise Hota Hai (1998). “Tips paid me Rs 3.5 lakh for my role. This was around 1996–97, and it was a lot of money back then. My parents even bought a yellow Zen car with that money — though I always thought the car looked constipated.”

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