“I Earned Zero”: Saiyaara Composer Tanishk Bagchi Accuses YRF Of Unpaid Royalties

The title track of Saiyaara became the romantic anthem of the year, but according to its composer, the paycheck never really matched the success. Tanishk Bagchi has gone public with allegations that Yash Raj Films still owes him royalty dues, despite the song racking up millions of streams and views.

It’s a rare, candid callout from an industry insider — and it’s opened up a bigger conversation about how composers get compensated for hits that outgrow expectations.

Saiyaara Composer Tanishk Bagchi Opens Up

What Bagchi Claims

In a lengthy Instagram post, Bagchi shared that Saiyaara marked his first collaboration with YRF, and that he poured everything into the track because he believed in it. He alleged that after covering live performance and mixing costs, his actual take-home earnings from the song came out to nothing.

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A post shared by Tanishk (@tanishk_bagchi)

He went on to say that, per his royalty statement, he’s still owed roughly Rs 8 lakh for a song that has racked up massive streaming numbers across platforms. Bagchi didn’t hold back on how that felt, noting that the amount seemed disproportionately small given the song’s scale and the effort behind it.

The Bigger Picture

Saiyaara, starring debutants Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, went on to become the highest-grossing Indian romantic film of all time, loosely inspired by the 2004 South Korean film A Moment to Remember. Its title track dominated charts throughout the year and even earned Bagchi recognition at industry award ceremonies.

Royalty disputes like this aren’t new in the Indian music industry, where compensation structures for composers and lyricists have long been a point of friction, especially as streaming numbers grow but payment models struggle to keep pace — an issue tied to how music royalties work globally, as explained on Wikipedia. YRF has not issued a public response to Bagchi’s claims as of this report.

What Happens Next

With Bagchi’s post gaining traction online, industry watchers will be looking to see whether YRF responds directly or if the matter moves toward a more formal resolution. For now, it stands as an unverified allegation from the composer’s side, though one that’s sparking wider conversation about royalty transparency in Bollywood.

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