Unless one is living under a rock, there is no chance they wouldn't have heard the Saiyaara title track. Tanishk Bagchi’s composition is everywhere, from radio to YouTube, from the music streaming apps to Instagram Stories. So, we catch up with the man behind the sensation and understand how he composed the song for the Mohit Suri-directed love story. Excerpts from the interview:

It’s not the first time that I’ve composed something original and got rewarded for it. But now I feel that I am a versatile music composer. You can tell by listening to a song that it must be composed by so-and-so composer. But with my songs, you won’t be able to tell if it’s Tanishk’s music or someone else’s because I’m so versatile.

It’s 100 per cent because of the market demand, survival, and what the director wants. My first preference will be original songs. But there are instances where if I don’t [create a remix], somebody else will. When a work opportunity comes to me, I can’t reject it immediately. 

The past two years [were trying] for me because there were lots of issues in my work and family. At that time, I met Mohit sir and he supported me. I didn’t have anybody to show me the way. So, I started following his vision. He told me that he needed a song for his film. I was working on a single for the last two years with Faheem [Abdullah] and Arslan [Nizami]. When Mohit sir said he needed a song, we had one called Saiyaan Mera, and Arslan had written this line, ‘Saiyaan mera tu rootha nahin hai, mausam zara sa rootha hua hai.’ We completed it and pitched it to Mohit sir. Then Irshad bhai [Kamil] wrote the entire track.

With him, there’s always an emotion behind a song. He will never say, ‘We want a promotional track.’ He’s a music-oriented director. 

After you give a super hit song, there is a lot of competition in the market, and when you say no to certain things, people think, ‘He doesn’t know how to create original music, or he only does recreations.’ This stress would seep into my personal life. Sometimes I used to earn money, at other times I didn’t. There were times when my song would be placed fourth or fifth in an album and it wouldn’t be promoted. I had composed Raataan Lambiyaan [Shershaah] and Bolna [Kapoor & Sons], but people still doubted me. 

Absolutely! I have never followed a trend. If someone asks me to make a song catering to a 15-second reel, I won’t do it. I will make a four-minute song. After Saiyaara, people are saying, ‘We believe in your original music’.

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As the popularity of Saiyaara’s soundtrack grows, Tanishk Bagchi feels like he has finally found vindication.

While the composer has delivered some of Bollywood’s biggest hits in the last few years, his success has been overshadowed by the criticism that he is inclined towards recreations.

However, the title track of Mohit Suri’s recently released romantic drama has gone on to shatter records, becoming the first-ever Bollywood song to break into Spotify’s Global Top 5. “People didn’t know the number of good original songs I composed. Par ab logon ko pata chal raha hai ki Tanishk Bagchi original songs mein bhi baap hai,” says the 44-year-old.

He’s loving the appreciation, but Tanishk also admits that this success helped him overcome a mental rut. “For two years, I was very affected by the trolling. Now, I’m happy and at peace,” he says.

As for Saiyaara’s success, the composer reveals, “Despite its new stars, I had hope ki yeh fatega.” The success was made sweeter by the fact that the song doesn’t rely on gimmicks. “There’s pressure to create viral hits. But if a track has soul and emotion, it’ll work, no matter how long it is,” Tanishk ends.

Often referred to as the king of recreations, Tanishk Bagchi is certain that the album of Akshay Kumar’s Sky Force will compel filmmakers to see him in a new light. While fans have celebrated his original hits, including Raataan Lambiyan and Bolna, the songs have often been dissociated with his name given the spate of rehashed numbers he has served music aficionados.

But Dinesh Vijan’s Sky Force, he says, is set to put his best work on display. “Imagine an album that has Raataan Lambiyan, Ve Mahi, Bolna, and Badri Ki Dulhania, all in one album,” he says of the film that has five songs crafted by him. In this interview, he reveals how he charted his career to facilitate this transition. Edited excerpts of the interview.

I used to create a lot of songs for Dinesh sir, but it would be one song in the entire soundtrack. I’ve also done a lot of recreations. Dino [Vijan] had praised my skills as a composer. Nobody understood that I have the potential [to helm] a solo film. Dinesh sir told me about this film that he was working on, and told me to make the entire soundtrack. That is where we began. He spoke to me about the situations the songs were to be placed in, but left the work to me. He didn’t share any references and allowed me to decide the genres.

Because this is a patriotic film, we’ve tried to retain honesty in the emotions. I can’t take references from other tracks. I’m proud of this album because these are the songs that I’ve always wanted to make. I knew that if I ever got an entire film to work on, I could design the soundscape as I desired. When I’d see [composers like] Sachin-Jigar, Vishal Dadlani, or Pritam, I’d always wonder why I couldn’t get an entire soundtrack [like they do], and was only entrusted with promotional numbers. That was, in a sense, a struggle for me. So, this film marks a new journey. I have been known as the person who did recreations, so this breaks the barrier for me. All the songs are original, and have been composed by me. The credit goes to Dinesh sir.

It began with saying no to a lot of [offers]. I turned down offers to back recreations. The last remix I did was for Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, and I did that only because I had worked on the second part as well. Even then, I tried to treat that number like an original song and added a new sound. I no longer wish to do any recreations. As much as I can, I will decline those offers. I’ve done what I had to do; I’ve established a trend. Now, I want to focus on my original music. 

When I compose, my music reflects a lot of the emotions that I encounter. Because I belong to Bengal, I’ve been inspired by folk melodies. I always wanted them to be reflected in my music. For Sky Force, I put all my skills to use, including using all the genres I know. Everything was scattered, but I created this package that brought it all together. This album includes one of the best tracks I believe I have ever composed. There’s another romantic song that, I am certain, will be liked by people. There’s also a number that adds emotional depth to the situation is was made for. Imagine having an album that has songs like Raataan Lambiyan, Ve Mahi, Bolna, and Badri Ki Dulhania and Aankh Marey, all in one album. I think, this is that.

Music composer Tanishk Bagchi as well as the music record label have been facing flak for “recreating” and “ruining” another popular song. Case in point: Nasha. But the remake’s composer asks, “If recreations give exposure to independent artistes and put them in the limelight, what’s the harm in doing it?”

Bagchi goes on, “Log jaante hi nahin hain ki kisne gaaya hai wo gaana (Amar Jalal and Faridkot). However, recreating the song and picturizing it on (actor) Ayushmann Khurrana and (actor-dancer) Nora Fatehi will help the original singers gain recognition. We are simply becoming a window through which these people can enter the mainstream.”

Giving an example of another song, Manike, Bagchi says, “We did a recreation of Manike for Ajay Devgn’s film Thank God, and it was a bigger hit than the original song. It also helped its artiste, Yohani, who is an independent singer, get her due. So, if recreation is helping an artiste, why shouldn’t we do it?”

As far as the decision to recreate this particular song is concerned, the Raataan Lambiyan (Shershaah, 2021) composer says it was not his call: “The filmmaker and the original singers collaboratively took the decision to work on this track, and I was included much later when they asked for my help with the composition. And since it’s not my track, I have not made many changes to it. In fact, after reworking the composition, I sent it to the original singers, and they really loved it. They thanked me for putting their song in the film (An Action Hero) and said, ‘We want people to know that it’s our song’.”

Bagchi, who has worked on several recreations, including O Saki Saki and Dilbar, doesn’t see any harm in it because everyone gets the credit as well as the money: “I make it a point that the original singers get credit and royalties. Like with Jehda Nasha, we ensured that the original singers got to sing it. Had we made another artiste sing it, the criticism would’ve been valid.”

New music composers in the industry either win the favour of cinephiles and critics, or face brickbats. Tanishk Bagchi, however, faced an unusual predicament during his early years in Bollywood — he found favour in cinephiles, and faced the brickbats of critics. The Humma song, one of his first remixes, became a chartbuster in no time, and paved the way for a fresh trend in the industry. Bagchi’s scores became hot favourites among music consumers, a development that sat well with label heads, but  not with composers of the original ditties that Bagchi was revisiting. 

“I wasn’t the first one,” Bagchi tells mid-day in a candid chat. “Amit Trivedi did it with Hungama Ho Gaya, and Vishal-Shekhar with Bachna Ae Haseeno. When I started doing it, people questioned me. So, I decided that if I created two remixes, I’d make two original tracks as well. If I made Humma Humma, I made Akh Lad Jaave too. If I was at the top due to my remixes, I was also at the top because of my original songs.” 

Bagchi’s resume evidently backs his claim. In 2021, apart from being a top performer on Indian music apps, his Shershaah composition Raataan Lambiyan made it to the Billboard charts as well. Emraan Hashmi-starrer Lut Gaye, and Nach Meri Rani were other Bagchi compositions that were also seamlessly adopted by music lovers. 

Assured in the knowledge that “those criticizing me are the ones dancing to my tunes”, he says reinventing music is only a way of celebrating the work of revered composers. “My dad [Nandakumar Bagchi] would say that during the end of R D Burman’s life, few were there [with him]. But when he [passed away], people started reinventing his music. Nobody is trying to reinvent the work of those who are here. Only when they go do we say, ‘Wah, kya kaam kiya tha’. How do we get these legends back? We can do collaborations. Maybe, Anu Malik and I could collaborate.”

Despite the criticism he has faced, Bagchi is the go-to person for filmmakers seeking a hit track in their offerings. With as many as 20 projects under his belt as we speak, he gears up for his next, the Rajkummar Rao-starrer Badhaai Do. “I worked on the [franchise’s] first film as well, so I had the theme in my mind already. I begin to visualise the film through the music as soon as the story is narrated to me. I also like to think about it like a director would, and match the director’s vision. The dialect plays a crucial role as well. For instance, a Delhi-based film will have a  Punjabi song. For a film set in UP, I will try to incorporate the flavour that we had in Badrinath Ki Dulhania. With 20 films [in my kitty], I need to be fast. It would usually take me a month, but, now, if a scenario is explained to me, I can churn out a track in a day.”

Matching the desired quality, one would assume, would be a challenging feat. But, Bagchi says his only aim is to appease himself. “Even if my manager or anyone else says a song I’ve made is good, I won’t present it unless I like it. If it doesn’t appeal to me, I will throw it out. I will also never repeat a certain kind of song. I can do a Makhna with Jacqueline Fernandez, a Nach Meri Rani with Nora Fatehi, a Raataan Lambiyan, which is [like a] sufi track, and a Tip Tip Barsa for Sooryavanshi. They all sound different.”

Bagchi admits that understanding the ways of the industry took a fair amount of toil. He didn’t find it easy to get work when he arrived in Mumbai from Calcutta, and turning down offers that he knew could easily go to other composers didn’t seem like a wise decision. “If I said no, producers would go to someone else. So I focussed on doing the best I could. At the end of the day, I focus on the good. When I will no longer be here, [my songs] like Ve Mahi and Baarish will be immortalized.”

His debut song, Banno (from Tanu Weds Manu Returns) catapulted him into the big league and Tanishk Bagchi followed it up with equally successful numbers like Bolna (Kapoor & Sons), Allah Hu Allah and Rabba (Sarbjit) and now Fake Ishq (Housefull 3). In a conversation with Bombay Times, the composer tells us why he believes everyone should have 'song banks' and how he is hoping to create music out of nothing...

Within two years, you've managed to become a household name in Bollywood..
(Laughs) My journey started with Tanu Weds Manu Returns. Before this, I used to produce and arrange music for TV shows, including Dance India Dance and Thapki Pyar Ki. I had a bank of songs, but I was scared to play it to others. But after Banno became popular, people started giving me importance and I gained the confidence to pitch my tunes to others. My friend Vayu, also a lyricist, and I collaborated on many tracks and director Aanand L Rai happened to hear one of them. That's how we landed our first break. The makers of Kapoor & Sons had our songs in their bank and when they needed a romantic track, we modified one of our works to create Bolna. Similarly, I'd met one of the producers of Sarbjit a few months ago. They were looking for a qawwali and I played them Allah Hu Allah, which I was planning to release as a single.

Is that how Housefull 3 also happened?
Actually, this is an interesting story. I'd heard from a friend that directors Sajid-Farhad were looking for a track that would complement the fun element in their film. So, I approached them like a newcomer without mentioning about my previous works and made them listen to three of my compositions. They were so humble and encouraging and locked Fake Ishq. It's a fun number.

Are you following Hollywood's way of pitching songs to producers from a bank? Do you think B-Town is adapting that format as well?
I would think so. Composing tracks and saving it for the bank, I think, is healthy and I believe everyone should have a bank. This way, if a film's theme matches with tracks that you have, you can easily adapt it to suit the director's requirement. It's easier to pitch your work to producers. That said, it's also important to view the movie through the director's perspective and composers should be willing to adapt.

But isn't there a different charm in composing songs exclusively for a film, like how it happened till the 90s?
My father worked with RD Burmanji and I remember how much of fun people had when they sat together and composed songs. My dad used to tell me that composers would visit the set and see what's being shot to come up with tunes. They composed on spot and it's such a refreshing experience to listen to people doing it. I follow Rahman sir and I've heard he doesn't like to whip out songs from his bank just for the sake of it. That's why I maintain that composers must modify their songs today to suit the director's need.

Have you always been into music?
I actually wanted to be a pilot. But I started learning music when I was very young. I learnt piano when my fingers were too small to even reach the keys. But somewhere down the line, I came to believe that musicians don't get their due and got very little money and because of this, we were losing many talented people. So, I didn't take music seriously because I thought I would also end up like that. But as I grew older, I saw my parents dedicating their lives to music and it inspired me and revived my passion.

You've managed to deliver different kinds of songs till now - from peppy folk and romantic melodies to heart-wrenching numbers...
My dad is into western classical and mother is an Indian classical singer. So, I've grown up listening to almost all genres of music. When I hear the situation, I can subconsciously decide what kind of song would suit the space. Right now, I'm trying an experimental project - creating symphony from natural sounds. For instance, even if there are no instruments in a room, I want to be able to produce music from whatever is there in front of me.

With so many young composers out there, does that make you insecure?
I've no intention to compete with other composers. Music is beyond competition and politics. That's why even if I win an award, I'm not overwhelmed because I believe that other nominees who put in as much effort into composing a song equally deserve the award.

So, you have no problem in being one of the many composers in an album...
Absolutely not. I think having multiple composers lends a varied flavour to the project. And it will help the directors visualise and shoot the songs better. Similarly, I'm always on the lookout for fresh voices. Every singer brings his own input to the table. I have a fibre, a certain texture in mind when I record a song. That's why I keep asking for demos online.