- Tanishk Bagchi claims he is owed Rs 8 lakh in royalties for Saiyaara title track
- Yash Raj Films states all royalty payments were made as per signed agreements
- The Saiyaara title track was composed by Tanishk, Faheem Abdullah, and Arslan Nizami
A public disagreement has broken out between music composer Tanishk Bagchi and Yash Raj Films (YRF) over royalty payments for the title track of Saiyaara. After Tanishk claimed that he is still waiting to receive Rs 8 lakh in royalties for the hit song, YRF has now issued a statement saying that all payments have been made as per the agreement signed by everyone involved.
The issue came to light after Tanishk shared a detailed note on Instagram on Saturday. Although the post was later deleted, it quickly grabbed attention online.
What Tanishk Bagchi Posted
In his note, the composer spoke about his experience of working on the title track, which he created along with Faheem Abdullah and Arslan Nizami. The song, written by Irshad Kamil and sung by Faheem Abdullah, became one of the biggest highlights of Saiyaara and went on to record millions of streams and views across platforms.
Talking about taking up the project, Tanishk wrote, “This was my first film with @yrfentertainment @yrfmusic… I agreed to everything because I believed in the music. I gave this song everything I had. From the production to the composition, working with the lyricist and singers, recording, vocal tuning, sound, arrangements every single detail mattered to me. I treated it like it was my own. whatever YRF had paid me all of that nominal amount was used to do the live and mixes ..what was left was zero ,yes. Thts wat i earned from a song so big.”
He further claimed that, according to the royalty statement he received, he is yet to receive Rs 8 lakh. While saying the amount itself was not the main issue, he felt it did not match the scale of the song's success.
“What hurts the most is that, as per the royalty statement, I'm still yet to receive just ₹8 lakhs in royalties for a song that has gone on to do millions of streams and views across platforms. Honestly, for the amount of work, time and passion I put into this song, ₹8 lakhs feels like peanuts. I genuinely believed a song that reached this scale would have earned much more.”
The composer also made it clear that he was not looking for sympathy. Instead, he said he wanted to speak about the effort that goes into creating music and how creators should be valued.
“I'm not writing this for sympathy. I'm writing this because I know what I put into this song, and I know the sacrifices I made to bring it to life… This experience has changed the way I look at this industry. From now on, I'll only work with producers and directors who value creativity, honesty and the people who build their music.”
Reflecting on the experience, Tanishk added, “One thing I've also learned is that sometimes you give people your everything, and when success comes, they forget who stood by them. Anyway, I leave the rest to God. Time tells every story, and karma settles every account. The only person i respect in this whole film is @mohitsuri .because of him i did this film ..and @irshadkamilofficial.”
YRF Says Payments Were Made As Per Contract
Soon after Tanishk's post went viral, YRF responded to the allegations with an official statement.
The studio thanked all three composers for their work on the title track and said royalty payments have always been handled according to the contract signed by everyone.
“Saiyaara title track was a beautiful collaboration between three composers (Tanishk Bagchi along with Faheem Abdullah and Arslan Nizami). We are deeply thankful for their brilliance in creating a timeless song that has touched a million hearts. Royalties for the title track have been shared and will continue to be shared by YRF equally between all three composers as contractually agreed by all, including Tanishk. YRF has paid every collaborator their due, as per contract, all within mutually agreed terms & time.”
About Saiyaara
Released in July last year, Saiyaara became one of the biggest blockbuster films of the year. Directed by Mohit Suri, the romantic drama marked Ahaan Panday's Bollywood debut opposite Aneet Padda. Along with its emotional story, the film's soundtrack received huge appreciation, with the title track becoming one of its biggest successes. The film is currently streaming on Netflix.
