Tanishk Bagchi Pulls Down Instagram Post After YRF Says All Saiyara Royalties Were Paid

When the romance‑drama Saiyara turned one on July 18, it was more than just a birthday for the movie – it became a flashpoint for a behind‑the‑scenes money row. Composer Tanishk Bagchi took to Instagram, his usual platform for sharing music snippets, and posted a lengthy, emotional note claiming that he was still waiting for ₹8 lakh in royalty payments for the film’s title track.

Bagchi’s message was raw. He wrote that the upfront fee he received from Yash Raj Films (YRF) had been swallowed by production costs – live‑instrument recordings, mixes, mastering – and that nothing was left for him once the song blew up on streaming services. “₹8 lakh feels like peanuts for a song that has amassed millions of streams,” he said, adding that he would now only work with producers who truly value creativity and honesty.

Within hours, the YRF team issued a statement that sounded almost rehearsed but was clear: the title track was a collaboration between three composers – Tanishk Bagchi, Faheem Abdullah and Arslan Nizami – and the royalties had been divided equally among them, exactly as stipulated in their agreement. “We have paid every collaborator their due, as per contract and mutually agreed terms,” a YRF spokesperson said.

The back‑and‑forth was brief. By the next morning, the Instagram post had vanished. Bagchi has not posted any follow‑up, leaving fans and industry watchers to wonder whether a private settlement was reached, or whether the composer simply decided to let the matter slide.

What does this episode say about Bollywood’s royalty system? It isn’t the first time a musician has publicly questioned payments, and it likely won’t be the last. The industry still wrestles with transparency, especially when a song becomes a streaming juggernaut. Still, YRF’s insistence that the contract was honoured may reassure other composers that the paperwork is, at least on paper, solid.

For now, “Saiyara” continues to enjoy radio play, playlist placements and a growing fanbase. Whether ₹8 lakh is a modest sum or a symptom of deeper payment‑tracking issues, the song’s success remains undeniable, and the brief controversy has already faded into the background of Bollywood’s ever‑turning soundtrack carousel.