Cinema VinesIn a recent flare‑up on social media, Bollywood composer Amaal Mallik took to the comments on a Salman Khan Films post to demand recognition for himself and lyricist Kumaar, who co‑wrote the 2015 hit “Main Hu Hero Tera.” The Instagram tribute, celebrating the 11th anniversary of the film Hero, had omitted the composer’s and lyricist’s names, prompting Mallik to write, “Whoever is handling the page or the social media of @skfilmsofficial, I love the audacity you have shown by leaving out the composer & the lyricist of the song lol! It doesn’t look nice that a song that is created with the pain, blood, sweat and tears of a music composer & his lyric writer is celebrated without the creators being respected or even mentioned.” He added a call to action for the studio’s team to “delete this page” if they could not rectify the oversight.
Mallik’s criticism did not go unanswered. His younger brother, singer Armaan Malik, stepped in on X (formerly Twitter) to defend his brother and counter a wave of trolls who accused the two musicians of lacking gratitude. Malik’s reply was both defensive and personal: “Please go create an original song, write it or sing it, then watch your name be conveniently left out where it belongs. I’d be curious to hear how that feels :) Don’t talk about gratitude. I’ve always been grateful for my beginnings, but I also know how hard it has been to reach where I’ve reached. If we don’t fight for our right, no one will.” He further clarified that his concern was purely about credit, stating, “I was genuinely only concerned for the credits for my brother and the lyric writer. Without them the song is nothing.”
The back‑and‑forth continued as the original Instagram post was edited to include Amaal Mallik’s handle, and the conversation spilled onto X where users debated the merits of public recognition. Amid the debate, Mallik revealed that he would be taking a temporary break from composing film music, citing the need for a pause after a prolific career that began with Salman Khan’s “Jai Ho” in 2014 and included major hits such as “Sooraj Dooba Hai” from Roy, Airlift, Kapoor & Sons, MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, Kabir Singh, and Vedaa.
Both brothers, sons and nephews of famed composer Daboo Malik and Anu Malik respectively, have built a reputation for blending melodic sensibilities with contemporary Bollywood sounds. Their latest dispute highlights the ongoing tension between artists and production houses over proper attribution, a topic that has resurfaced as more musicians seek acknowledgment for their creative contributions behind the scenes.
