Aditya Narayan reveals Shaapit’s failure left him jobless for a year; recalls working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali as an AD: ‘He wanted Rani Mukerji for Gangubai’

Pointing out that he took on the project on a whim without thinking about it much, he added, “I just wanted to sing, and since Vikram Bhatt’s a good director, I thought, ‘Why not? Let me give it a try.’ But when a ‘star kid’ is launched, there’ll be expectations. Unfortunately, the film didn’t perform well, although the songs were successful. However, I did not get any work after that. For about six months to a year, I was jobless. I remember there was a ‘Rs 2 PR person’. I called him one day and asked if he could handle my PR. Even he didn’t give me a callback. That’s when I understood that when you fail at work, people’s perception changes. All the movies and shows that were initially offered to me slipped away.”

Aditya Narayan also revealed that he didn’t even receive full payment for a movie he did during this time. Although he refrained from naming the production company, he noted that it has since shut down. He added, “I had bought a house by then, and I managed to pay the EMIs by doing small shows.”

Mentioning that he became close with Sanjay Leela Bhansali during his time hosting X Factor India, where the filmmaker served as a judge, Aditya said, “As I had no other work, I decided to learn something new. I was drawn to filmmaking because I had been interested in making music and music videos since childhood. It was Sonu Nigam (also a judge on X Factor India) who asked me why I shouldn’t consider assisting Bhansali. It felt like a great idea. When I approached him with this wish, he smiled, thinking I would give up in five days. To not break my heart, he asked me to come to his office. However, during the first week, he didn’t give me any work, as he was sure I would give up soon. After a week, he started giving me work slowly.”

He continued, “At that time, he had two scripts with him: Ram-Leela and Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022). I think he was considering making Gangubai Kathiawadi with Rani Mukerji in the lead at that time. He gave all of us the two scripts and asked which one was better. I also like Ram-Leela more.” Mentioning that although Bhansali can’t sing well or play any instruments, Aditya said the director knows how to create good music. He also shared that he contributed to almost all the songs in the movie and that his voice is still present among the choruses. Dubbing Bhansali a genius, Aditya shared that he’s also intimidating due to his eye for detail and perfectionism.

Besides serving as an assistant director, Aditya Narayan also sang the songs “Ishqyaun Dhishqyaun” and “Tattad Tattad” in Ram-Leela. He shared that the shoot of the song “Tattad Tattad” lasted 11-12 days. “I must be the first singer to have clapped for the track he sang.”