Aditya Narayan with Shaapit co-star Shweta Agarwal

More than a decade after his precocious acts in Pardes and Jab Pyaar Kisise Hota Hai, Aditya Narayan is back on the big screen — this time as a Bollywood leading man. Singer Udit Narayan’s 22-year-old son is all set to send shivers down the audience’s spine with Vikram Bhatt’s supernatural Friday flick Shaapit.

“I am very nervous, very jittery. I can’t think straight. I am just waiting to see how the viewer reacts to Shaapit,” says Aditya. But why debut with a horror film? “I could have been another Raj or Rahul in a romantic film, but I wanted to do it the unconventional way,” he smiles. “To be honest, it did feel a little strange initially to be offered a horror film on debut, but once Vikram narrated the script to me, I knew that Shaapit had to be it. I would rather surprise people than have them exclaim, ‘oh, even you are debuting with a romantic role’,” says the singer-actor.

“In the 80 or 100 days that we shot, I got to do almost everything that a romantic hero does — sing, romance, dance and a whole lot more,” he adds.

In Shaapit, Aditya plays a young lover who sets out in search of a 300-year-old spirit to rid his fiancee of a generational curse. “It’s edge-of-the-seat and extremely engaging. It’s a lot like Indiana Jones, but here what we are in quest of is a spirit, rather than a skull or a lost treasure. If people liked Raaz and 1920 (both directed by Vikram Bhatt), then I am sure they are going to love Shaapit,” says Aditya.

Shaapit has been in the making for a while, but that hasn’t fazed Aditya. “There are a lot of hurdles in making an unconventional film with rank newcomers. It is to Vikram’s credit that he managed to pull this through so beautifully.”

And what has been papa Udit’s reaction to son Aditya’s first film as leading man? “I haven’t shown my dad the film yet, but both my parents are extremely proud of me. When I show them the film in a few days time, I am sure that there will be some tear-jerking moments because they are both extremely emotional about me,” smiles Aditya.

The former Sa Re Ga Ma Pa host has also contributed to the Shaapit soundtrack. “I have sung four out of the seven songs and even composed a number,” says Aditya who has a degree in contemporary English music from London.

“I am open to singing offers, but acting is the priority for me right now. I am definitely doing Vikram’s next film. And that is a romantic role!” he signs off.