Tanishk Bagchi reveals he battled depression while composing Saiyaara song
Music composer Tanishk Bagchi opened up about his battle with depression during the creation of the ‘Saiyaara’ title track. The song, featuring actors Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, has emerged as a massive hit. Speaking candidly in an interview, Bagchi also noted that the song itself turned out to be therapeutic after it was ready, healing his mental health.
In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, Bagchi said, “I was in depression while making ‘Saiyaara’. I was on medication every day, struggling to sleep. There was success, but still an emptiness I couldn’t explain. I had a home, a career, everything – but the sadness stayed.”
He shared that his co-artistes, including Arslan Nizami and Faheem Abdullah, also faced their own set of challenges. “Arslan (Nizami) was going through family issues, Faheem (Abdullah) had exams, and Mohit (Suri) Sir would open up to me too. We were all carrying something heavy, and we shared it with each other. Every artist involved in ‘Saiyaara’ put their pain into it. I think that’s why it resonates so deeply,” he stated.
The music composer additionally admitted that the making of ‘Saiyaara’ song healed him. “We never set out to make a hit. We just wanted it to be real -simple, honest. No drama, no fakery. When it was done, I listened to it on loop. For the first time ever, my own song started healing me. That’s when I knew – it would heal others too,” he further expressed.
Watch the song video here:
Earlier, in an interview with India Today, Bagchi dismissed accusations of plagiarism surrounding ‘Saiyaara’. He said, “Whatever I do, people will have something to say because they don’t have (anything better to do). They keep on looking for opportunities to put me down.”
Asserting the song’s originality, the composer added, “The best thing is that it’s an original Hindi song, a pure Hindi song. There is no collaboration with foreign artists; everyone associated is home-grown, so that’s a big achievement for me.”
‘Saiyaara’ title track reached the No. 1 spot on Spotify’s Top 50 India and No. 4 globally. The film, directed by Mohit Suri, hit theatres on July 18.
