Amaal Mallik Reacts To Tanishk Bagchi’s Saiyaara Royalty Row, Says Industry Is '10 Years Too Late' To Wake Up

Amaal Mallik has shared a cryptic post on social media, seemingly reacting to the controversy surrounding Tanishk Bagchi’s claim of unpaid ₹8 lakh royalties for the Saiyaara title track. While Tanishk alleged that the dues remained unpaid, YRF clarified that royalties were shared equally among the three composers and all collaborators were paid as per the agreed contracts. Now, the ongoing debate around royalty payments in the music industry has found another voice in composer-singer Amaal Mallik. He stated that the conversation around these issues has come too late and questioned where the industry was when he raised similar concerns years ago.

Amaal Mallik’s Cryptic Post Amid Tanishk Bagchi’s Saiyaara Royalty Row

While Amaal Mallik did not directly mention the Saiyaara controversy or Tanishk Bagchi, he shared

a cryptic note along with a selfie on social media. Expressing his thoughts, Amaal wrote, “People in the music industry waking up 10 years too late. Where were you in 2015 when I was fighting the system alone :)”.

People in the music industry waking up 10 years too late 🤯🤷🏻‍♂️

Where were you in 2015 when I was fighting the system alone 🙂 pic.twitter.com/x8bjPxT7Lx

— Amaal Mallik (@AmaalMallik) July 19, 2026

Amaal’s reaction comes amid renewed conversations around royalty distribution. The composer has previously raised concerns about how musicians often struggle to receive a fair share of a song’s earnings despite their contribution to its success.

When Amaal Mallik Spoke About Music Royalty System In India

In March, Amaal opened up about the stark realities of the music royalty system in India, shedding light on how creators often receive only a fraction of what their work ultimately earns. “There is royalty system implemented from 2020. Javed Akhtar sahab fought very hard for it. Actor feels that if they are standing in a song so the song will be a hit. That is only 50% true. The rest 50% credit goes to lyric writer, music composer, director and then last comes to singer. Singers are important, but they are not the creators of the song. These four pillars of the sound are all needing rights of the song. Music producers don’t have right to their songs but in the west that category also has rights to the song,” he said.

Using his hit track “Sooraj Dooba Hai” as an example, the composer highlighted the disparity between a song’s revenue and the earnings of those behind it.

Amaal cited his 2015 track “Sooraj Dooba Hai” from Roy, starring Ranbir Kapoor, to underline the issue. “As an Indian system, we are very much behind the west. Because Taylor Swift has master royalties, she could buy back the album and release it in her own way. Like for the song, Sooraj Dooba Hai, I got Rs 8 lakh, and I gave everything in that. I had to run my house, make this song. It would have taken Rs 10 lakh max. The song was made in Rs 8-10 lakh,” he said.

“My understanding is on an average in the last 12 years, the song has made Rs 65 crore, I had reviewed this 7 years back. Now, it would have made Rs 100 crore. Now, the song which was made in Rs 10 lakh has earned Rs 100 crore and what they would have given us was Rs 15-20 lakh. This includes everything – the engineer, the place, the food – everything, but not royalty,” he added.

Breaking down his personal earnings, Amaal revealed that after covering production costs and paying his team, his own share from the song was surprisingly modest.

“I paid my team in that amount. After paying for everything, I get salary of Rs 75,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh after doing one song,” he said.

YRF’s Clarification Over Tanishk Bagchi’s Claim

After Tanishk Bagchi’s claim, YRF later clarified that all payments related to the Saiyaara title track had been made as per the agreed contracts. “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,” a YRF spokesperson said.