‘Saiyaara’ Title Song Creators Faheem Abdullah and Arslan Nizami: From Kashmir to Bollywood, Musician Duo Talks About Their Journey and Break With YRF (LatestLY Exclusive)

The title track of Saiyaara – Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda’s debut film directed by Mohit Suri and produced by Yash Raj Films (YRF) – has been the top trending song on YouTube since its release. However, these numbers hold little importance to the creators of “Saiyaara” – Faheem Abdullah and Arslan Nizami – who just believe in making music with all heart and letting the magic take over. But the singer-composer duo behind “Saiyaara” is only grateful for such a response to the song. Their original song creation was modified and taken a notch higher, or a different pitch more suitable to the film, by music composer Tanishk Bagchi. The fab collab has resulted in a beautiful melody that blends Indian and Western music in a passionate fusion. LatestLY speaks to Faheem Abdullah and Arslan Nizami on their journey from Srinagar, Kashmir to Mumbai, Maharashtra – from the land of soulful music to the heart of Bollywood and YRF for Saiyaara. Excerpts from the interview. Fact Check: Was YRF’s ‘Saiyaara’ Supposed To Be ‘Aashiqui 3’? Director Mohit Suri Confirms THIS About Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda’s Film.

“If ‘Saiyaara’ is trending, we are just being showered with the utmost love that we could ever ask for.”

Journey of ‘Saiyaara’ – Music Duo Faheem Abdullah and Arslan Nizami

You are seasoned musicians making a Bollywood debut. Tell us about your background. Are both of you from Jammu and Kashmir? Did you know each other and have a band together?

Faheem Abdullah: Both of us belong to Kashmir. We are best friends from Srinagar city. We have a studio there together, KMR – Kashmir Music Revolution. We are individual acts, but for the film music, we mostly go as a duo.  ‘Saiyaara’: Who Are Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda? New Bollywood Couple Stars in Mohit Suri’s Romantic Film – Know More About Them.

Let’s start from the beginning of your musical journey in Kashmir, your style of music to film music in Bollywood.

Arslan Nizami: I will talk about my musical journey. My father, Qaiser Nizami, is a musician and singer-songwriter based out of Kashmir. My journey was such that I didn’t know I’d be a musician, being really honest. Since childhood, I used to write music, but I didn’t know I had a voice, too, that could reach people. Until 2015 (when things changed), jab mere mein ye chahat thi, ki ek particular kalaam tha yahan pe, ek famous Sufi poet hai jinhone likha tha – Rahim Saeb Sopore, unka naam hai – usko “Jaan Wandiyon” kahte hain. (I had this wish to make music out “Jaan Wandiyon”, written by a famous Sufi poet of Kashmir, Rahim Saeb Sopore). My father used to sing it for my Dadu (paternal grandfather) in a particular way, and it always used to be different. So, I was always keen ki main bhi aisa kuch karoon (I should do something like that) for my father. I began my journey from there. Mera pehla gaana 2019 mein, “Jaan Wandiyon”, banaya (I created my first song “Jaan Wandiyon” in 2019).

How did you meet Faheem and begin making music with him?

Arslan: I met Faheem for the first time through my song producer Rauhan Malik in 2018. Thus began our musical journey as a duo. Faheem was studying for his Master’s degree then, and I got a job working as a tunnel engineer in Sonamarg. Toh uss dauran hum music bana rahe the but bahut kam. Saal mein hamara ek gana aata tha aur hum usi mein khush the. (During that time, we were making music, but very little – one song per year, and we were happy with it.) We felt the songs were coming, and people were connecting with them. That’s what really matters. Until one fine day, when Faheem called me while I was at work. He told me that we should really get out of here. Humein apni awaaz logon tak pahunchani hai. Duniya tak pahunchani hai. Toh tu kar paega kuch? (We have to make our music reach people around the world. Will it be possible for you?) I said, ‘Tell me what to do’. Faheem said, ‘We should definitely try to do something for ourselves and our people. So, why don’t we just try our luck? Let’s go to Mumbai for 15 days and see what we can do there’. It was in 2022. That’s how it started.

Listen to ‘Saiyaara’ Title Song:

Getting a Break With YRF

What happened once you reached Mumbai? How did you bag a YRF project? Did you feel nervous working with the iconic production house?

Arslan: Faheem and I had each created 3-4 drafts (of songs), and we came to Mumbai with those. We had some savings but struggled a lot. We met a lot of people here. Until one fine day, we met music composer Tanishk Bagchi, whom we call Dada. He probably saw something in us that no one else could see, and because of that, we are here today.

Interesting journey from Kashmir to Bollywood in Mumbai. But it appears easier than it must have been…

Faheem: When your dreams are big, the destination becomes easier to reach.

“When your dreams are big, the destination becomes easier to reach.”

Well said. What do you think Tanishk Bagchi saw in your voice, in your music?

Arslan: Kahin na kahin, sukoon, dard, chaah awaaz mein thi, aur uske alawa hamare jo bol the…uska credit jaata hain jahaan se hum aate hain. (He probably saw that there was a sense of calm, pain and desire in the voice. Apart from that, whatever lyrics we wrote, I would like to give credit for that to where we come from). It all comes from the place we belong to, Kashmir. That makes it very different as compared to what others are doing in Bollywood music). (Tanishk) Dada was really fascinated by that thing.

Arslan Nizami Sings ‘Saiyaara’ Unplugged – Watch Video:

From ‘Saiyyan’ to ‘Saiyaara’ – Making of the Song

This is your first time creating music for a YRF movie. What were your feelings? Nervousness and/or happiness?

Arslan: It was definitely a surreal experience. Being really honest, we had never thought that our song was going to be for this banner. Some dreams are such that they take time to come true. We had never thought that we would get a chance with Saiyaara. We just thought that Faheem and I would make a song and release it as a single. But the destiny of this song (“Saiyaara”) was something else.

How did the lyrics of “Saiyaara” by Irshad Kamil come about?

Arslan: Initially the lyrics of “Saiyaara” were different, jo humne try kiye the woh bilkul apart, bahut different tha (What we had tried was completely different). But phir jab hum Mumbai aaye (when we travelled to Mumbai) and met Dada, he explained the song’s situation to us. We came to know that Irshad sir will be writing it. We have always been a huge fan of Irshad sir. When he finished writing the song and met us, it was a beautiful moment for both Faheem and I.

So, was the original song “Saiyaara” written by you?

Faheem: Well, initially when we started this project, we didn’t take it as a project. It was just something we wanted to say from the heart. The original song’s name was “Saiyaan”. Years ago, when I wrote its first draft, I got stuck with the melody. After 2-3 years, Arslan and I sat in the studio and worked on its draft, the melody and we composed the top line. Right after that, humne usse bas chhod diya tha (we just left the song to its own after composing it), because we were not sure how we should release it and what the fate of the song would be. But I think the journey was such that we came to Mumbai to meet Dada. Whatever music we played for him in his company and whatever we learnt in his association, Arslan and I felt that “Saiyaara”, which was then called “Saiyaan”, could be our collaborative song with Dada. He (Tanishk) also liked it very much when he heard our initial melody, it was quite raw then. Then taking that raw approach to a proper industrial scale, it was all him (Tanishk).

Arslan and Faheem Jam to ‘Saiyaara’ With Tanishk Bagchi – Watch Video:

More additions happened when Irshad sir came on board. When Mohit sir first introduced us to Irshad sir for the lyrics, we were totally fascinated to see him for the first time. And then have him write the lyrics for the song – it was a surreal experience. The initiation was from Kashmir, but after that how the song evolved, it was to happen completely in Mumbai.

This song’s lyrics have a lot of meaning, and fusion music has been incorporated, the traditional melody with the Western – the guitar, piano and beats. It gives a young feel to the kind of love story that is shown in Saiyaara. Was that part of the brief that the song had to be made in a certain way?

Faheem: The musicality of this song…obviously, because programme Dada ne kiya hai (Tanishk has programmed it), all the music and all his contributors who have played the guitar, for example, or other instruments. So, kudos to them. But haan (yes), we too, always thought that the “Saiyaara” song should go somewhere in the rock ballad genre. And none other than Mohit Suri, he is the master of that genre in Indian film music. We were on the same page when it came to the vision. But Mohit sir’s vision for the song was much grander. And it sounds even grander, wider and bigger, now that it has been done with such precision by such beautiful musicians. It being in this genre justifies the rage and the passion that was supposed to be in the film. If you listen, the lyrics of “Saiyaara” are also like that and it has been sung in a similar way. Accordingly, the music is also made in a way that everything points in one direction, that there is passion in the entire song. Absolutely.

Faheem Abdullah and Arslan Nizami’s ‘Saiyaara’ Title Track – Watch Video: 

The ‘Saiyaara’ Title Track has been shot well with Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda. It has 31 million views on YouTube (at last count) and was trending in the Top 10. How does it feel to be on top with your first Bollywood number?

Faheem: The place that we come from, we have never followed trends. When we make a song, Arslan and I, or our fellow artistes from Kashmir, we never go and check the stats (statistics). Because, we believe that as an artiste, when you have made a song, the job is done. Later on, we got to know about how marketing and PR (public relations) would work, and how a song can be catered to the audiences where it should reach. And the numbers that you are seeing right now, I think people are actually loving what everybody who has been a part of this song has done. We are very grateful for that because the stats would show exactly how many people have liked the song and how many have saved the song to their playlist. So, if “Saiyaara” is trending, we are just being showered with the utmost love that we could ever ask for.

Future in Bollywood/Film Music or Individual Albums and Singles

The song Saiyaara perfectly suits the style of both Mohit Suri and Tanishk Bagchi. Like you said, there is pain in the voice, and this is your trademark style. Would you like to do similar songs in the future as well in film music?

Arslan/Faheem: Artiste ko koin khabar nahin hoti ki wo agali cheez kya karega (An artiste has no idea what he will be doing next). An artiste is like a river in a valley. You can take whatever you can from it. It will keep flowing.

You have arrived in Bollywood. Going forward, there will be collaborations in film music and individual songs. Do you have some offers, whether it’s from YRF or others?

Faheem: As such, nothing solid. But yeah, hopefully… We are working on our independent songs right now, which is our prime focus. When anybody asks this question, which kind of song would you like in Bollywood or would you like to sing for the offers that you have, I would say that whatever emotion you know, you will be able to do justice to the song only by employing that emotion. If I am told, for example, that now there is a song on divorce and I have to sing it, I don’t think I will be able to do justice to it. I need (to feel it), I can’t sing in an alien emotion. Whatever emotions we are offered, there is such a situation and on this (a song is needed), it doesn’t matter who is featuring in it or who is directing it. What matters is their sensibility towards music. We have been very fortunate that we got to work with Mohit sir, YRF and Tanishk Dada, and the song got together. There was a whole collaborative approach. I don’t think we can get lucky every time. But we are just hoping for the best and that we will be able to do more and more work in the industry.

On Composing for Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda

The lead actors in this film – Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda – are also newcomers like you. How did you feel after seeing the song picturised on them?

Faheem: When you playback for a face who is already established, for example, or who has already worked and they have done lip-sync for any other singer, so you know, every actor has a voice that suits them (on screen). Ahaan being here in this project as the face (for my voice), it’s a beautiful thing to happen. It’s his film debut and it’s our musical film debut. Ek nayi awaaz, ek naya chehra (a new voice, a new face), I feel it is going to work 100%. Because, if an old voice that people have already heard had been repeated for the “Saiyaara” Title Track, it might or might not have worked. I am grateful that I got this opportunity to be launched with a new face. Our song got this space with a film where you are seeing both the newcomers (lead actors). It all works in favour of the film.

‘Saiyaara’ Official Teaser Starring Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda – Watch Video:

We can’t help but agree with Faheem and Arslan here. The intensity is coming through in Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda’s performance in “Saiyaara”, which is only enhanced by the soulful music of the Kashmiri duo, making the actors look even better in the film. Saiyaara releases on July 18, 2025, in theatres.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 30, 2025 02:13 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).