Truth About the Rift Between Ismail Darbar and Bhansali

Awez Darbar Reveals Why Ismail Darbar and Sanjay Leela Bhansali Fought During Heeramandi.

Forget the music

There are some couples in Bollywood who, whenever they come together, create magic. Who can forget the music of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas?

But the story behind the scenes is something else. Recently, Ismail Darbar’s son, Awez Darbar, opened up about the often-sour relationship between his father and filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

A Tom and Jerry-like relationship

Awez made a very interesting observation while talking to Siddharth Kannan. He explained that his father and Bhansali’s relationship is like that of ‘Tom and Jerry’.

They get angry at each other over small things and even leave projects in anger.

It’s strange for Awez to watch—he thinks, “Hey, why did you leave the film over such a small thing?” But for these two legends, it’s become a normal cycle.

Ego clash or friendship?

Awez admits that both have immense respect for each other, but there are also plenty of ego clashes.

The story goes like this: first, there’s a fight, then work stops, and then, after some time, they come back together as if nothing happened.

Awez says he never fully understood this dynamic, only observed from a distance how this cycle repeated itself, regardless of the film.

Heeramandi and Two Years of Hard Work

But things got a little serious during Heeramandi. Ismail Darbar himself stated in an interview that he wasn’t a “yes man” from the start. If he didn’t agree with the director, he would simply say no.

He dedicated nearly a year and a half to composing music for Heeramandi. Their creative process has always been marked by healthy disagreements, but this time, things took a turn for the worse.

An article created a rift

The real twist came when an article appeared in the media calling Ismail Darbar the “backbone” of Heeramandi. The report stated that while the show may feature a stellar cast, the music would be by Ismail himself.

It’s said that Bhansali believed Ismail himself had planted this news. This misunderstanding created a rift between the two, and an iconic collaboration was nearly destroyed.