Saiyaara vs One Direction's Night Changes? Tanishk Bagchi breaks silence on song controversy
Saiyaara has become a breakout hit despite plagiarism claims. Composer Tanishk Bagchi defends the song’s originality, crediting its emotional depth and proud Hindi roots for its massive success.
Last Updated: 12.49 PM, Jul 29, 2025
Bollywood has been going through a rough patch recently, but the tremendous success of Saiyaara has provided a much-needed lift to the industry. Although even blockbuster films starring A-list actors have bombed in this market, the film has been a surprising success. Despite starring Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, two relative newcomers, the musical romance drama has found an audience throughout the country.
Music takes centre stage
Everyone is discussing the story, the direction, and the performances in the film, but the music has become the main topic of conversation. Tanishk Bagchi's composition of the title track dominates the charts. The song has risen to the top of India's Spotify Top 50 chart and the fourth slot worldwide, and it is currently trending across digital platforms.
But the scrutiny increased in tandem with the song's popularity. Internet users started comparing the melody of Saiyaara to songs by artists such as Jubin Nautiyal's Humnava Mere and One Direction's Night Changes. Social media discussions and video comparisons have raised questions, prompting Bagchi to respond.
Tanishk Bagchi denies plagiarism allegations
In an interview with India Today, the musician clarified that he was not engaging in plagiarism. According to him, "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."
The composer said, addressing the similarities in the music, "But ultimately, the song will go wherever it’s destined to, and that’s what’s happening with Saiyaara too. As for the comparisons, if you look at the melody, the chords are the same. The A minor scale has just about 3-4 chords but every melody has a different soul. That doesn’t mean that anything was stolen. Even if you can do that, it’s really difficult to make it a hit."
"Worked on the emotion"
According to Bagchi, the heart of the song was in its feelings, not in its imitation. He said, "All said and done, we didn’t steal anything. The similarities are fine; it can happen, but it’s not like we did it on purpose. Idhar se utha ke udhar nahi kiya (We didn’t pick it up from here and place it there). We worked on the emotion of the song, and that worked. That's the magic of the track Saiyaara."
"The best thing is that it’s an original Hindi song, a pure Hindi song," he said, praising the accomplishment and highlighting the track's origins. Bagchi is quite proud of the fact that there is no foreign artist collaboration; all of the artists involved are homegrown.
As Saiyaara keeps making waves and climbing the charts, people will be discussing the influence it has on the film and music industries, for better or worse.
FAQs
Q: Why is Saiyaara trending globally?
A: The title track has gained massive popularity for its emotional composition and is currently charting on Spotify’s Top 50 India and global lists.
Q: Who are the lead actors in Saiyaara?
A: The film stars newcomers Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda in the lead roles.
Q: Is Saiyaara an original Hindi song?
A: Yes, Tanishk Bagchi emphasised that Saiyaara is a purely original Hindi song.