Arijit Singh’s influence led Ayushmann Khurrana to his first live performance in the US

Actor Ayushmann Khurrana recently recalled how singer Arijit Singh inspired him to pursue live performances, leading to his first-ever singing gig in the US, in front of a crowd of over 50,000 people.

Ayushmann shared that he initially never considered himself a live performer. While he enjoyed singing for films, performing on stage in front of a large audience never crossed his mind. “I always thought of myself as an actor, not a singer,” he said.

However, it was Arijit Singh who changed his perspective. Ayushmann explained that after the success of Vicky Donor and winning an award for Best Singer, Arijit reached out to him in 2013. Arijit was supposed to perform at a Diwali Mela in Dallas but couldn’t make it due to an emergency. He asked Ayushmann to step in and perform with his band.

At first, Ayushmann hesitated, as he had never thought of performing live before. “I always sang for myself or at parties with friends,” he said. But, being a huge fan of Arijit, Ayushmann eventually agreed.

When he arrived at the venue, Ayushmann was taken aback by the size of the crowd—almost 50,000 people! He described the experience as a major shift, going from singing in his living room to performing on a massive stage. The concert was a success, with Ayushmann singing ten songs alongside Arijit’s band, and the audience's response was overwhelming.

The experience was so enjoyable that Ayushmann knew he wanted to continue performing live. "I knew I had to form my own band and perform on stage," he said. "So, all credit goes to Arijit Singh for this."

Ayushmann's upcoming projects include Thama, a horror-comedy from Maddock Films, and an untitled project with Dharma Productions and Sikhya Entertainment.