‘Saiyaara’ row: YRF says title track wasn’t solely composed by Tanishk Bagchi, royalties disbursed equally to 3 composers

Mumbai, July 18 (AHN) Music composer Tanishk Bagchi has alleged that he hasn’t been paid the royalty for the track of the blockbuster film 'Saiyaara'. Now, the studio behind the film, Yash Raj Films has responded to the allegations levelled by the composer.

On Saturday, the YRF spokesperson released an official statement, and said that the song wasn’t solely composed by Tanishk Bagchi, but it was a collaboration between 3 composers Tanishk Bagchi, Faheem Abdullah and Arslan Nizami.

The spokesperson said that the royalties for the title track have been shared equally with all 3 composers, and will continue to be shared by the production house.

YRF spokesperson said, “‘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 millions of 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”.

Earlier, in the day, the composer took to his Instagram, and shared the poster of the film. He also penned a long note in the caption, and shared how he feels betrayed as he wasn’t remunerated correctly.

He 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. That's what I earned from a song so big”.

He further mentioned that as per the documentation and paperwork behind the making of the song, he is yet to receive INR 8 lacs as royalty for the song.

He shared, “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. 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”.

“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”, he added.