Aditya Narayan on earning Rs 8 Lakh at 18 and paying taxes at 7, says "the sudden rush of success had its impact..."

Aditya Narayan talks about his journey

For as long as most of us can remember, Aditya Narayan has been in the news. His career in entertainment began early, with its own set of surprises, as he sang as a child, acted with Bollywood celebrities, and eventually became well-known on television.

Aditya recently discussed candidly on their podcast with Bharti Singh and Harssh Limbachiyaa how his life and mindset were influenced by his early success.

Aditya shared a memorable anecdote from his early TV hosting career, saying, "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 was only 18 at the time, and like many teenagers, the sudden rush of success had its impact. “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 joked that he wouldn’t even do a single episode for that fee now, which had everyone laughing.

Aditya went on to say that in the very next season, his fee jumped to Rs 25,000 per episode — and that’s when he began to understand the importance of saving money. Interestingly, his journey as a taxpayer began very early too. “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 added.

One of his most well-paid roles as a child came in the film Jab Pyaar Kisise Hota Hai, where he played Salman Khan’s son. He fondly recalled, “Tips paid me Rs 3.5 lakh for the film.”

Aditya, the son of legendary singer Udit Narayan, has continued to make a name for himself — whether it’s hosting shows like Indian Idol, singing hits like Tattad Tattad, or acting. He married Shweta Agarwal in 2020, and the couple welcomed their daughter, Tvisha, in 2022.