Music director Ismail Darbar recently shared candid insights into his strained professional relationship with acclaimed filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Speaking to journalist Vickey Lalwani, Darbar revealed that he would refuse to collaborate with Bhansali again, even if offered an astronomical sum of Rs 100 crore. Their fallout reportedly began during the production of the Netflix series Heeramandi, which Darbar was composing for over a year before a misunderstanding forced him to step away.

Behind the Scenes of Iconic Collaborations

Darbar reminisced about his earlier successful collaborations with Bhansali on celebrated films like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas, which starred Bollywood heavyweights Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai, and Shah Rukh Khan. Despite the critical and commercial success, tensions simmered beneath the surface. Darbar pointed to Bhansali's casting choice of Shah Rukh Khan over Salman Khan for Devdas as a key reason for the eventual fallout between the director and Salman.

He explained,“When I needed work, Bhansali gave me Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. When he needed me, I gave up everything for him. He was like a godfather to me in the industry. But when he hired my competitor Shah Rukh for Devdas, I understood why Salman was upset.”

Industry Fallout and Personal Pain

The dynamics between Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai also played a role in the tensions. Darbar acknowledged the well-known public disputes between the two, suggesting these personal issues further complicated professional relationships. In a related revelation, ad filmmaker Prahlad Kakkar, who lived in the same building as Aishwarya, shared that she felt deeply betrayed by the film industry's support of Salman post-breakup. Kakkar noted that this hurt contributed to a shift in Aishwarya's dedication to Bollywood.

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