Yash Raj Films' Kabir Khan directed New York has not openly opened to great reviews but to a great welcome at the box office as well.

Amongst the main leads of the film, Neil Nitin Mukesh has every reason to be happy not just because it is his first mega box office success but the running that he did on Mumbai streets to bag this film ended up paying rich dividends. Confused? Well read on.

Not many know that Neil started his career as an assistant director to Yash Raj films Mujse Dosti Karoge. In fact Neil also performed as a child star in Yash Raj Films Vijay. Hence Neil says he knew what a stickler for perfection director Producer Aditya Chopra was.

Neil recalls, "I was shooting in Colaba, for a film when Aditya Chopra called me for a narration. He asked me to reach Yash Raj studios by 6.00 in the evening. I left Colaba and reached Bandra but then our car got stuck in the traffic jam.

I got out of my car and started running from Bandra to Juhu. There I took a rickshaw and reached Andheri. My make up man Wasim too joined me. But in Andheri once again we got stuck in the traffic jam. I then left the rickshaw and went running till Yash Raj Studios.

I stood outside the gate and called Adi Chopra and told him I will be five minutes late. I then went to the wash room to get fresh and applied a little make up and got ready to meet Adi. I wanted to work with Kabir Khan as I had liked his earlier movie Kabul Express and didn't want to miss the opportunity.

Today when the film has done well I feel that all the running from Bandra to Andheri indeed was for no loss. It really helped me."