Anurag Kashyap claims Bhushan Kumar’s music label T-Series did not pay him for 'Dev D': ‘They don’t pay for the quality of music’

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has opened up about being significantly underpaid for the music in some of his most acclaimed films, including Dev D (2009) and Gangs of Wasseypur (2012). He blamed music giant T-Series and its head, Bhushan Kumar, for not offering fair compensation.

Anurag Kashyap says T-Series never buy good music

In an interview with The Juggernaut, Kashyap spoke about the commercial priorities of music labels, alleging that they invest in projects based solely on star power, rather than the artistic merit of the soundtrack. He remarked, “The idea is not to cater to the market. If T-Series, Bhushan Kumar, is not buying it, then it is good music. T-Series doesn't buy good music at a good price (sic).”




Anurag Kashyap did not receive a single rupee for the music of Dev D

Kashyap went on to highlight how little compensation was given for the music of some of his films, even when they were critically acclaimed. “They paid very little for Dev D, Gangs of Wasseypur or Gulaal. They only pay based on who the star is. They don’t pay for the quality of music,” he said.

He expressed his frustration and added that the label did not pay anything for the music of 'Dev D’. He also claimed that T-Series has never understood what good music is and only focuses on certain commercial styles within the industry.


Kashyap shared that the only time T-Series paid a significant amount for music was for his 2015 film Bombay Velvet, which featured a jazz-heavy soundtrack. “As music, it was very good, but it worked the least for them—because nobody wanted to listen to jazz. They paid the highest price for that,” he stated.

T-Series and Bhushan Kumar have yet to respond to these statements.

Anurag Kashyap's upcoming movies


Meanwhile, Anurag Kashyap is gearing up for his next project, Nishaanchi, which will mark the acting debut of Aaishvary Thackeray. The film is set to hit theatres on September 19, 2025.