Meet India’s Top-Paid Lyricist Who Charges Rs 25 Lakh Per Song – The Unbelievable Talent You Didn’t Expect
Ever since the advent of talkies in India in 1931, musicians have been fundamental to the success of Hindi films. The importance of songs grew particularly from the 1940s as commercial cinema took center stage. However, despite their crucial role, musicians and songwriters were not always compensated fittingly for their contributions. This scenario has evolved dramatically, and today, the remuneration for music composers, singers, and lyricists has reached significant heights—often running into lakhs per song. Some even command more than a crore for a single film.
Among these highly paid lyricists, Javed Akhtar stands at the pinnacle. Having recently eclipsed the veteran lyricist Gulzar, Akhtar is currently the highest-paid lyricist in India. According to Film Information, Akhtar was remunerated a whopping Rs 25 lakh for penning the song ‘Nikle The Hum Kabhi Ghar Se’ for Rajkumar Hirani’s film “Dunki.” Recounting his collaboration with Hirani, Akhtar shared on the show “Main Koi Aisa Geet Gaun” that he initially declined to write just one track for the film. However, when faced with Hirani’s persistence, Akhtar set forth terms he presumed would be a deterrent, only to find them readily accepted. For his work on this single track, he received a separate credit on screen.
Until last year, Gulzar held the title of the highest-paid lyricist, earning Rs 20 lakh per song even at the age of 88. Like Akhtar, Gulzar typically prefers to write the entire soundtrack for films rather than single tracks. Akhtar, who usually charges Rs 15 lakh per song, had been a close second to Gulzar until 2023.
Rounding out the list of top-paid lyricists, notable mentions include CBFC Chairperson Prasoon Joshi and composer Vishal Dadlani, each earning Rs 10 lakh per song. Irshad Kamil, Amitabh Bhattacharya, Swanand Kirkire, Jaideep Sahni, Sameer Anjaan, and Anwar Faiz also feature prominently, with their earnings ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 9 lakh per track.
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Original Story https://www.dnaindia.com/bollywood/report-india-s-highest-paid-lyricist-javed-akhtar-fees-rs-25-lakh-gulzar-manoj-muntashir-varun-grover-irshad-kamil-3096892
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