A year after Saiyaara, starring Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, was released on July 18, music composer Tanishk Bagchi stirred controversy by claiming that he is yet to receive ₹8 lakh in royalties for the film’s title track. In an Instagram post, he also alleged that the fee he received for composing the song was entirely spent on its production. Following his remarks, Yash Raj Films (YRF) issued a clarification, stating that all contractual payments had been made and that royalties were being distributed as agreed. Soon afterwards, Bagchi’s Instagram post appeared to have been deleted, as it is no longer visible on his profile.Responding to the allegations, a YRF spokesperson emphasised that the Saiyaara title track was a collaborative effort between three composers—Tanishk Bagchi, Faheem Abdullah, and Arslan Nizami—and that royalty payments have been handled according to the agreement signed by all parties.“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,” the spokesperson said.Hours after YRF released its statement, Bagchi’s Instagram post was no longer available on his account. The composer has not commented publicly on why it was removed.Earlier on July 18, Bagchi had shared an emotional note explaining why he felt disappointed with the financial outcome of the song despite its massive popularity. Claiming that ₹8 lakh in royalties was still pending, he reflected on the effort he had invested in creating the track.“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,” he wrote.He further claimed that the payment he received from the production house was entirely spent on the making of the song. “Whatever YRF had paid me, all of that nominal amount was used to do the live and mixes… what was left was zero, yes. That’s what I earned from a song so big,” he added.Bagchi also questioned the royalty amount reflected in his statement. “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,” he further claimed.Clarifying that his post was not intended to seek sympathy, the composer said he simply wanted to highlight the effort that goes into creating successful music and why he was disheartened by the outcome. “From now on, I’ll only work with producers and directors who value creativity, honesty and the people who build their music,” he wrote.He concluded his note by reflecting on loyalty and expressing gratitude to only a few people associated with the film. “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 Mohit Suri, because of him I did this film… and Irshad Kamil,” he concluded.
