Mithoon on becoming the highest paid music composer in India: ‘My music is priceless’

Music composer Mithoon, who’s reportedly charged a ₹25 crore for his next film with director Mohit Suri, brushes off the chatter with calm composure.

Music composer-songwriter Mithoon isn’t interested in reacting to the noise — not even the kind that made headlines about him charging a staggering ₹25 crore for an upcoming film with longtime collaborator Mohit Suri, a fee that reportedly makes him the highest-paid composer in the country. The 40-year-old musician, known for crafting some of Bollywood’s most enduring love anthems, prefers to keep the focus on the art.

Composer Mithoon has become the highest paid musician

“I won’t comment on numbers. That’s extremely personal. But I do believe in the value of music. I’m grateful to be part of this fraternity, and I’m happy that people are opening up about what creators get in terms of value. Music is a big contributor to cinema — a good album can get you a bigger opening. Every composer should get their due,” he says.

His views on composer rights go beyond headlines and paycheques. “Even in terms of streaming revenue, composers should be empowered. I believe my music is priceless. It has a lot of value. I just want every composer to value themselves and the value they bring to a project,” he adds.

The film in question marks yet another chapter in Mithoon’s long-standing association with Mohit Suri — a partnership that goes all the way back to Zeher. For Mithoon, Mohit’s name is reason enough to say yes.

“He’s a defining factor in why I take up a project. We started our careers together. I believe in his brand of cinema — the rawness of his movies, the fabric of his storytelling, and most importantly, the belief he has in me,” he shares. “Mohit gives me a free hand to establish my own brand of music. I never ask him who his actors are, or who’s producing the film. I don’t ask him anything,” adds Mithoon.

It’s this intuitive approach that has led to some of his most moving compositions — especially in the genre he’s most associated with: romance. “Romance is the most beautiful thing about life. It’s not just an emotion — it’s beyond that. It lingers on long after people are gone. It carries forward through generations. I still feel the love my grandparents had for me. That love still surrounds me,” he says.

It’s this force of nature that inspires him the most. “That’s why I like writing love songs so much. I really get inspired. Maybe that’s why I’m called the love composer,” he says with a shrug. “It doesn’t bother me. In a world of echoes, I have a voice of my own. I love writing these songs. And if people come to me for that, then so be it,” he adds.

But love songs aren’t all he’s known for. Mithoon points out that some of his most streamed songs, like Darkhaast from the 2016 film Shivaay, were deeply experimental. “I’ve worked with different directors and explored different styles. If I’m charged enough by the story, I can do justice to it. It cannot be forced upon me. I need to feel it first, and then go in that direction to see what comes naturally,” he says.

For him, music doesn’t come from a formula — it comes from a place of truth. For him, that’s the real secret to his music — not the numbers or the labels, but the feeling that lingers long after the last note fades. “We can’t get very scientific. It’s more about a feeling. When I hear a story, I react to it, and I try to capture that in the melody. If that feeling resonates with the filmmaker, then we build from there,” he ends.