'Saiyaara': Tanishk Bagchi on How Title Song Was Composed and Why Ahaan Panday Was Present During The Recording

A song lasts four minutes, but for composer Tanishk Bagchi, the title track of 'Saiyaara' lived with him far longer. Currently, the song sits at No. 5 on Spotify’s Global Top 50 and continues to echo across timelines and theatres alike. But months before it broke charts and found its way into people’s headphones, Reels and cinema halls, the heartbreak anthem—created alongside emerging Kashmiri talents Faheem Abdullah and Arslan Nizami—lived quietly in their studio with a title that wasn’t even Saiyaara.

Composed during a difficult period in Bagchi’s life and without a film or deadline in sight, the song, now featuring Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda in the film, became a space to process what words couldn’t. The melody came first, the film later, and in between, there was a team that felt more like family. "When it’s the family that wins, that’s the biggest success in your life," says Bagchi.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Bagchi revisits the journey of Mohit Suri's Saiyaara coming to life and why it feels like the most honest work of his career.

Edited excerpts from a conversation:

People have been crying, dancing and reacting so emotionally to the title track in cinema halls. Did you see this coming?

It’s been 10 years of making songs for films and for directors. But with Mohit sir, there’s always been some kind of magic, whether it was 'Baarish' or any other song I’ve done with him. 'Saiyaara' is something much closer to me than anything else I’ve composed in my entire career. It took me time to understand the emotion because I was going through a very difficult period, I was depressed, both with work and family. And at that time, Mohit sir came back into my life and gave me this opportunity.

I’m very personally attached to this film. Maybe that’s why I could bring back the melody that had been inside me for a long time, something I had lost. Suddenly, it returned, and Saiyaara happened. I’m really happy to have been part of this entire magic.

Does the emotional state you were in reflect in the melody?

Yes. When you’re truly hurting or going through something deeply personal, when you’re on the verge of losing something, emotionally breaking down, it becomes very hard to explain it to anyone. It stays inside you. At that moment, some form of passion or art comes in a way to express your pain, your love, your loss. And I think 'Saiyaara' came to me at just that time. It became easy to compose because I poured my soul into it whether it was producing the track, or working with Faheem, Arslan, and Shreya Ghoshal (who sang the Reprise version); each part of it was part of my own journey. As you can see, honest music connects with everyone.

Have you seen all the social media reactions and Reels that are coming out?

Yes! I’ve seen all the reactions. I even went to the theatre with my mom because she said she wanted to watch the film with me. Usually, I don’t go to watch my own films, I feel a little awkward. But this time I was happy. We went together, and I saw people crying. I was just sitting there thinking, is this my pain they’re feeling too?

I think it’s just true emotion, and all the credit goes to Mohit sir. He’s not just a director; he’s like a brother, and such an inspiration. When he talks about a scene or tells me how he wants to shoot something, I place myself in that space. I can feel the pain. So Saiyaara isn’t just mine, it’s Mohit sir’s... and now, all of ours'.

Can you take us through the process of making the 'Saiyaara' track and how the team came together?

I was working with Faheem and Arslan for the last two to three years. They hail from Kashmir, and they had come to Mumbai; I met them on their last day in the city. They came to my studio, and I heard a lot of their songs. They write really well.. we did two or three songs which we thought we’d use for an album or maybe release as singles. But there were no plans for a film.

While they were back in Kashmir, I played all the songs we’d done for Mohit sir. I told him, 'Please listen to these guys.’ One of those tracks was 'Saiyaara', which was actually ‘Saiyaan Mera’ originally, written by Arsalan. When I heard that track, I felt it had a lot of potential. But I didn’t know how to fit it into a film; the only director I knew who would get it was Mohit sir. So I dubbed the song myself, just on piano, and handed it to him. I told him that this was the tune and the structure that we were planning.’ He actually loved the song and said, ‘This song is very big. Let’s produce it and then decide what to do!'

Tanishk Bagchi talks about 'Saiyaara'

So you started producing it and dubbed it yourself?

Yes! I then presented it to Mohit sir, who told me, 'This is the song I need.’ At that point, the film’s name wasn’t even finalised. Then Mohit sir, Irshad bhai, and Adi (Aditya Chopra) sir came up with the name Saiyaara. If you pronounce 'Saiyaara' and 'Saiyaan Mera', they both sound similar. So they asked me to replace 'Saiyaan Mera' with 'Saiyaara', and it actually fit really well. That’s how Saiyaara was born. Then Faheem came in, we dubbed his part and Irshad bhai’s, and the rest is history. The entire process took around six to seven months.

The Shreya Ghoshal version, with her vocals, adds a whole new emotional depth and sound to the Reprise version....

Mohit sir wanted a more Indianised version for the title track. If you see the genre of 'Saiyaara', it’s rock and Yash Raj tends to lean more toward pure Indian melody; they love that space. So it was easy for me to structure the song accordingly. I dubbed dholak and everything, and made it with an Indian style. When Mohit sir asked who was going to sing it, it had to be Shreya; she has the perfect voice for this. So I went and played the song to her. I didn’t even have to tell her anything; she straightaway sang the song with exactly the feel we wanted. That’s how the magic happened.

Finally, Ahaan Panday has been praised for getting the lip sync perfectly right in the 'Saiyaara' video — which is especially rare for new actors.

When I met him and Aneet, I told them that this film is going to be huge for everybody. I remember when I was dubbing the song at Yash Raj, Mohit sir wanted the actors to come and see how the music was being made. When Ahaan met me, he wanted to understand everything; how the piano is played, how the guitar is played, how the singer sings, how it feels to sing, and how to stand in front of a mic. He was observing and studying all of it because Mohit sir had told him to. I think that helped him a lot. And obviously, he is an amazing actor himself.