Adarsh Gourav on Singing and Composing 'Jee Liya' for ‘Tu Yaa Main’: ‘I’ll Forever Be Grateful to Bejoy’

For Adarsh Gourav, who has nurtured a musical career alongside acting, Tu Yaa Main became a project where both his crafts converged. In conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, India, the actor and singer spoke about how his track, Jee Liya, was spontaneously selected for the film, despite being incomplete at the time. “I have been working on my EP for the last year, and writing some music on the side,” he explains, adding: “Aditya N. and I had written [Jee Liya], it was not in its final stage.”

Two weeks before the shoot for Tu Yaa Main began, he found himself in director Bejoy Nambiar’s office, where he casually played the track for the filmmaker upon request. He shares, “I just played this track, Jee Liya for [Nambiar], and his first reaction after listening to this track was, ‘Can I have this in the film?’”

The moment carried particular weight for the actor-singer, who has always tried to integrate his music into his screen work. “I have been trying to pitch myself as a singer in every project that I’m part of,” he says, laughing. “I secretly slide it in somewhere… but it’s never worked out.”

This time, it did, much to his surprise. “I had never imagined that this is how it would eventually happen,” he admits. “Just casually playing a song—the thought didn’t even cross my head.”

Gourav saw the opportunity as a no-brainer. “There can’t be a better platform for a musician like me to put out my music,” he says, pointing to the difference in reach. “The reach that a commercial film will have over you releasing your music independently, which 10,000 people will listen to, are two completely different things.”

The response to his music has been overwhelming. “We have had over 500,000 hits on Spotify in three days, which is absolutely insane to me,” he says. Expressing his gratitude, Gourav adds: “I’ll forever be grateful to Bejoy for making this happen.”

The actor-singer has also collaborated on another track for the film, Naam Karu Bada, with artists Sez on the Beat and 7Bantai’Z. In the past, he has delivered tracks like Bechaini with producer and composer OAFF, Kho Gaye with artists RUUH and JOH, and has also collaborated on Ishq Nachaawe - Reprise Version, a track for his 2023 Netflix film, Kho Gaye Hum Kahan.