‘Sooraj Dooba Hai earned Rs 70 cr, I got nothing’: Amaal Mallik exposes the dark side of Bollywood music and losing 45 films for ‘speaking up

For Amaal, the fight for rights is not just about personal wealth. “I want to make that kind of money to help people. I do it in my own way, I don’t want to talk about it, but I want money to help people. That can only come if I have rights or equal rights or some kind of rights jo film music mein nahi milta hai.”

‘South Indian music composers take huge fees’

He contrasted the situation in Hindi cinema with the South Indian film industry. “There have been people like Rahman sir (AR Rahman) and many others from the South who have stood their ground,” he said, pointing out the massive disparity in fees.

“There is this massive fees of like Rs 10-15 crore that South composers are getting, compared to Hindi music composers who are getting Rs 2–3 crore and giving up all the rights. It is not about crying for money, but money is something that facilitates someone with a heart like me, intentions like me to help people.”

“We do not want money to buy ourselves home or something. 16 years later, I just bought a car for myself. Never did anything for myself, it was always people around me,” he said.

How the music industry functions

Describing how the industry functions, Amaal pointed to a culture that discourages questioning. “Everyone works in one straight line. People don’t ask why things can’t be done differently or why credits can’t be structured in another way,” he said.

On the issue of credits, Amaal was firm that fairness has always guided his work. “No one can ever say that I denied them credit on my songs,” he said.

He explained that Indian crediting systems lag behind global standards. “In the Western world, crediting works very differently. On platforms like Spotify, you often don’t even see the names of everyone involved in a song here.”

He recalled moments when even senior lyricists were forced to fight for recognition. “There were times when they had to fight because the lyricist’s name wasn’t even showing up. Writers as senior as Amitabh Bhattacharya, Kausar Munir and Manoj Muntashir had to make a video just to demand proper credit,” he said.

According to Amaal, many musicians who received credit alongside him later pushed other labels to follow suit. “They questioned why a composer could be credited on one label but not another.”

Amaal also noted that prominently crediting composers wasn’t always the norm. “Today you see composer credits on every big YouTube channel, but I was the first one to insist on this back in 2004,” he said.

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Professional cost of speaking up

Speaking about the professional cost of taking such stands, Amaal admitted it often leads to conflict. “There was a time when I was working with someone on a film, and by the evening we were fighting a court case. I won’t name anyone, but that’s how it works,” he said.

He also credited his audience for sustaining him through professional setbacks. “I’ve spoken out strongly, but the audience has stood by me,” he said.

Amaal revealed that he was removed from several projects over the years. “In the last five years, I was dropped from 40 to 45 films,” he said, adding that listeners continued to engage with his music regardless. “Even when I wasn’t visible, my music kept living on.”

Amaal also opened up about the risks of speaking out early in his career. “People tell me, ‘If you do this, you’ll get less work.’ I understand that, but I don’t know any other way,” he said.

He added that the backlash often affects his family, including his brother Armaan Malik.

He also pointed out at the deeper structural problems in the industry, particularly the lack of transparency. “People should see that I give my absolute best to every film,” Amaal said. “You take 15–16 options from me and 10 other composers, everyone invests their heart, and then songs are rejected. There’s no clarity.”

About Amaal Mallik

Amaal Mallik is the son of composer Daboo Malik and nephew of veteran musician Anu Malik. He made his debut as a composer in 2014 with three songs in Salman Khan’s Jai Ho. While the film underperformed at the box office and its music failed to leave a lasting impression, Amaal went on to build his career with projects such as Roy, Ek Paheli Leela, All Is Well, Hero, Airlift, and several others.