Last Updated:February 01, 2026, 22:00 IST

Amaal Mallik says his family name worked against him in Bollywood, revealing he was removed from jobs after people found out his surname during his early struggle years.

Amaal Mallik has opened up about how his famous surname became a hurdle early in his career, revealing that he was removed from assistant jobs once people discovered his family background.

Music composer and Bigg Boss 19 finalist Amaal Mallik has opened up about the often-overlooked struggles that shaped his career, revealing that his famous surname did not always work in his favour. Despite being born into a family with deep musical roots, Amaal says the industry was far from welcoming during his early years.

“My Surname Worked Against Me”

In a recent interview with Pinkvilla, Amaal spoke candidly about how his family name became a source of suspicion rather than support. “Wherever I got a job as an assistant, the moment they found out that my surname was Mallik, they would remove me from the job… ‘Oh, he’s from that family, he might sell out our music,’ or whatever. There was this kind of notion,” he revealed.

He added that the prejudice extended to his brother as well. “So it actually worked against me and my brother (singer Armaan Malik),” Amaal said, highlighting how assumptions about legacy often overshadowed their individual efforts.

A Decade of Struggle Before Success

Looking back at his formative years, Amaal described the period between the ages of 15 and 25 as the most challenging yet defining phase of his life. “From the age of 15 to 25, what I saw in 10 years, usually people might see it as a different timeline but for me it was all very good because all those struggles, all those difficulties, all those obstacles happened at the earliest stages of my life,” he shared.

Rather than seeing it as a setback, Amaal believes those early hardships helped build resilience and perspective.

Hustling Behind the Scenes

Contrary to popular belief, Amaal says he was never handed opportunities on a platter. As a teenager, he worked as an assistant and even took up runner jobs, carrying hard disks for post-production work just to earn money and stay connected to the industry.

Those years of doing the groundwork, he says, taught him discipline and humility—lessons that stayed with him long after he established himself as a composer.

On Perseverance and Proving One’s Worth

Amaal concluded by emphasising that having a legacy does not guarantee success. According to him, building a career still requires patience, consistency, and the willingness to prove oneself repeatedly, regardless of one’s background.

Amaal Mallik’s Recent Work

On the professional front, Amaal Mallik was recently seen as a contestant on Bigg Boss 19, where he emerged as one of the top five finalists. The season was eventually won by actor Gaurav Khanna.