Singer Armaan Malik on Thursday fired back at social media users who labelled him and his brother, composer Amaal Malik, as 'ungrateful' toward Salman Khan. The backlash followed Amaal's public call-out of the Salman Khan Films social media team for omitting the composer and lyricist credits from a post celebrating 11 years of the track 'Main Hoon Hero Tera' from the 2015 film 'Hero'.

What sparked the controversy

On Friday, the official Salman Khan Films page shared an anniversary post marking the song's milestone — but reportedly left out both the composer and the lyricist. Amaal Malik, who composed the track, responded sharply in the comments section.

'Whoever is handling the page or the social media of @skfilmsofficial, I love the audacity you have shown by leaving out the composer, & the lyricist of the song lol!' Amaal wrote. He added: 'It doesn't look nice that a song that is created with the pain, blood, sweat and tears of a music composer & his lyric writer, is celebrated without the creators being respected or even mentioned. Learn to do the basics otherwise delete this page. Don't delete my comment, let Salman sir see it as well, so that he knows you guys screwed up.'

The post was subsequently edited to include due credit to Amaal, according to reports.

Armaan's response to the trolling

After Amaal's comments went viral, a section of netizens accused both brothers of being 'ungrateful' to Salman Khan, who had backed them early in their careers. One X user wrote: 'Whah a shameful behavior from the two brothers.. the support they got should have gone to more grateful and worthy people.'

Armaan Malik responded on X, pushing back firmly. 'I'd be curious to hear how that feels :) Don't talk about gratitude. I've always been grateful for my beginnings, but I also know how hard it has been to reach where I've reached. If we don't fight for our right, no one will,' the singer wrote.

A recurring problem in Indian music

The incident has reignited a broader conversation about credit and attribution in Bollywood's music industry. Composers and lyricists have long complained that production houses and star-led social media pages routinely spotlight actors and playback singers while sidelining the creators behind the composition. This is not the first time such a dispute has surfaced publicly — several prominent composers, including Vishal Dadlani and Pritam, have previously spoken about credit gaps in Bollywood's music ecosystem.

What happens next

With Salman Khan Films having corrected the post, the immediate issue appears resolved. However, the exchange has put a spotlight on how production houses handle music credits on social media — a space that increasingly shapes public perception of creative ownership. Whether this prompts a broader rethink of credit norms across the industry remains to be seen.