Tanishk Bagchi

Early life and background

Tanishk Bagchi was born on 23 November 1980 in Kolkata, West Bengal, into a family of musicians. His parents, Nand Kumar Bagchi and Sharmistha Das, both worked in music, and he grows up hearing the craft at home. He studies at Frank Anthony Public School and later attends Scottish Church College in Kolkata. Those years in the city's cultural environment shape his decision to pursue music professionally, and he has since described his career as carrying forward his parents' musical inheritance.

From television to a Bollywood debut

Bagchi begins his recorded output in 2007 with the Bengali-language album City Life. Before films, he produces and arranges music for television serials, work that sharpens his studio skills and speed. He also contributes as a music producer on Hindi film songs, including Meherbani from The Shaukeens (2014), composed and written by Arko Pravo Mukherjee. Those television and studio years teach him to work fast and to think in arrangements rather than single melodies, a habit that stays with him.

A partnership with lyricist Vayu Srivastava proves decisive. Their single Oopar Oopar Renn De draws the attention of filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who introduces them to collaborators connected with Aanand L. Rai's Tanu Weds Manu Returns. The resulting song, Banno, becomes Bagchi's Bollywood debut in 2015. In the same year he takes his first solo composition credit with Samandar in Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon, sung by Jubin Nautiyal and Shreya Ghoshal.

A dense run of hits, 2016-2019

Working both alone and as the duo Tanishk-Vayu with lyricist Vayu Shrivastav, Bagchi assembles a large catalogue in only a few years. Credits include Bolna from Kapoor & Sons, The Humma Song from Ok Jaanu, Baarish from Half Girlfriend, Twist Kamariya from Bareilly Ki Barfi and Mere Rashke Qamar from Baadshaho. He also begins a long screen partnership with director Mohit Suri through Baarish, a collaboration that continues across the following decade.

Recognition follows the workload. The Mirchi Music Awards name him Upcoming Music Composer of the Year for Bolna, and at IIFA 2018 he shares Best Music Direction for Badrinath Ki Dulhania with Amaal Mallik and Akhil Sachdeva. Recreated songs become a signature: Dilbar for Satyamev Jayate and Aankh Maarey for Simmba keep him at the centre of mainstream Hindi pop, and the Zee Cine Awards later give Aankh Maarey Viewers' Choice Song of the Year.

Non-film work grows alongside the film credits. Singles such as Leja Re, Koka and the 2019 hit Vaaste, recorded with Dhvani Bhanushali, extend his reach beyond soundtracks, and he becomes a regular collaborator for singers building their first audiences. Bhanushali has publicly described him as a mentor whose guidance shaped her early career.

Range across formats and languages

Bagchi's work is not limited to Hindi film songs. He moves into Telugu cinema with Adbhutam from Lover, records advertising jingles, and releases independent pop through labels including T-Series and VYRL Originals, where Khud Se Zyada appears under his own name as singer-songwriter. In January 2021 he composes and produces the anthem for the FAU-G mobile game, unveiled by actor Akshay Kumar. He continues to write lyrics as well as music, often sharing credits with long-time partners. He moves easily between romantic ballads, dance numbers and Punjabi-flavoured pop, and occasionally sings on his own recordings as well.

Shershaah and award recognition

Raataan Lambiyan from the 2021 war drama Shershaah becomes a defining song of Bagchi's middle career. Sung by Jubin Nautiyal and Asees Kaur with lyrics and music by Bagchi, it anchors an album that wins Best Music Album at the 67th Filmfare Awards in 2022. Filmfare's winners listing credits Bagchi with B Praak, Jaani, Jasleen Royal, Javed-Mohsin and Vikram Montrose, and the same ceremony gives Best Playback Singer (Female) to Asees Kaur for the song. In interviews around this period he often returns to one theme: that composers deserve clearer credit when their songs succeed.

Saiyaara and current work

Saiyaara, directed by Mohit Suri and released in July 2025, brings Bagchi another career highlight. He co-composes the title track with Kashmiri musicians Faheem Abdullah and Arslan Nizami, sets Irshad Kamil's lyrics, and recruits Shreya Ghoshal for a female reprise. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter India, he explains that the melody existed before the film, written during a difficult period in his life, and that Suri later shaped it into the movie's central song over roughly six to seven months.

The song travels quickly. In Billboard's July 2025 charts it enters the Global 200 at No. 10 and jumps to No. 4 on the Global Excl. U.S. list while topping the India Songs chart. Bagchi keeps releasing independent music, including later singles such as SEEN, and in December 2025 Bollywood Hungama reports his move into producing with Mahaveer Jain Films' MJF NXT initiative. He remains active as a composer across Hindi film projects.