Ismail Darbar Reveals Why Salman Khan’s Equation With Sanjay Leela Bhansali Changed After Devdas

Composer Ismail Darbar opens up about his split with Sanjay Leela Bhansali, vowing never to work with him again.

The pair, celebrated for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas, reportedly fell out during the production of Heeramandi.

Source : IMDb

Music composer Ismail Darbar has broken his silence on the fallout with filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, declaring he would never work with the director again, “not even for Rs 100 crore.” 

Composer Ismail Darbar Confirms Rift with Bhansali

The pair, celebrated for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas, reportedly fell out during the production of Heeramandi.

Darbar told Vickey Lalwani that he had devoted over a year to Bhansali’s Netflix project before a misunderstanding caused his departure. “I gave up all my work for him,” he said, expressing disappointment over how things unfolded.

Allegations of Professional Betrayal

The composer also commented on Bhansali’s relationship 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. Isn’t it obvious? If I help you out twice, and the third time, you go and hire my competitor, I would be upset? Salman worked with him on Khamoshi, and then worked with him again even though Khamoshi flopped.”

In a related conversation with the same host, ad filmmaker Prahlad Kakkar spoke about the turbulent relationship between Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai. Kakkar, who lived in the same building as Aishwarya, revealed the actress felt deeply hurt by the industry siding with Salman after their breakup. “Her greatest hurt was being abandoned by the industry for Salman. That was her greatest hurt. She really felt bad. That’s where her commitment to the industry actually cracked… She felt very, very betrayed by the industry,” he said.

Ismail Darbar, one of India’s acclaimed music composers, is best known for his soulful scores in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas, which earned him a National Award. He has also judged reality shows like Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge and Amul Star Voice of India, and appeared on Bigg Boss 3.