Reflecting on his career, Darbar also discussed his past work with Bhansali on celebrated films such as Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas, which featured stars like Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai, and Shah Rukh Khan.
Published: Thursday,Oct 09, 2025 05:57 AM GMT+05:30
Image Source: Instagram
Ismail Darbar, the renowned music director, recently shared insights into his strained professional relationship with filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali. In a candid interview with Vickey Lalwani, Darbar expressed his definitive stance, stating he would decline any future collaboration with Bhansali, regardless of the financial incentive. This revelation stems from their fractured working dynamic during the Netflix series Heeramandi. Darbar had dedicated over a year to composing for the project before a disagreement led to his departure, marking the end of their professional association.
Ismail discusses his past works
Reflecting on his career, Darbar also discussed his past work with Bhansali on celebrated films such as Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas, which featured stars like Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai, and Shah Rukh Khan. While these projects achieved significant success, their collaboration was not without challenges. Tensions arose during production, especially concerning casting choices, which contributed to underlying conflicts within the team.
Ismail suggested that Bhansali’s decision to cast Shah Rukh Khan in Devdas led to a fallout with Salman Khan. “When I needed work, he gave me Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, and when he needed me, I gave up all the work I had for him. He was my godfather in the industry, after all… My heart tells me that his equation with Salman soured because he hired Shah Rukh for Devdas. Salman supported him even when Khamoshi flopped. Isn’t it obvious? If I help you out twice, and the third time, you go and hire my competitor, I would be upset?”
Reflecting on Salman and Aishwarya’s fights
When asked whether Salman wasn’t cast due to his rumoured past relationship with Aishwarya Rai, Darbar acknowledged the public perception but emphasised the emotional weight of their conflicts. “The news of their fights were all over the media. We used to feel bad; they were so close, they shouldn’t have been fighting. But these are all things of the past; even Salman is smart enough to never speak about it,” he said.
Ad filmmaker Prahlad Kakkar, who lived in the same building as Aishwarya Rai, witnessed Salman Khan and Aishwarya’s arguments firsthand. Kakkar revealed that Aishwarya felt deeply hurt by the film industry’s biased treatment towards her after the breakup. “Her greatest hurt was being abandoned by the industry for Salman. That was her greatest hurt. She really felt bad,” he said. “That’s where her commitment to the industry actually cracked… She felt very, very betrayed by the industry”.
TL;DR
Reflecting on his career, Darbar also discussed his past work with Bhansali on celebrated films such as Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas, which featured stars like Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai, and Shah Rukh Khan. While these projects achieved significant success, their collaboration was not without challenges.