Awez Darbar reveals why Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Ismail Darbar’s bond soured; calls their dynamic, 'Tom and Jerry with ego clashes'

Awez Darbar speaks on Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Ismail Darbar

Awez Darbar has opened up about the complicated relationship between his father, music composer Ismail Darbar, and filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Their was a creative partnership once considered one of Bollywood’s finest, that later turned sour.

Speaking to Siddharth Kannan, Awez described their dynamic as “Tom and Jerry-like”. He admitted he never fully understood how the two maestros functioned. “They get mad at each other over the smallest of things and leave the project,” he said. “For us, it becomes a big thing, ‘Oh God, you left a film?’ Our point of view is stable, but they operate on a different plane. And then they get back again. They start talking, they start working. So I’ve never understood their relationship.”

Despite the friction, he emphasised that both hold deep respect for each other, even though ego clashes were frequent. “In their hearts, they respect each other a lot, but there are a lot of ego clashes as far as I can see.”

Awez also revealed that this on-again, off-again pattern didn’t just occur during Heeramandi but across all occasions they collaborated. "They get back, make music, and then something happens, and the cycle repeats.”

When asked what specifically went wrong during the Heeramandi music sessions, Awez admitted he never witnessed those moments firsthand. “I don’t know what happens because I have never seen it myself.”

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This isn’t the first time the fallout has been publicly acknowledged. Earlier, speaking to Vickey Lalwani, Ismail Darbar had stated he would never work with Sanjay Leela Bhansali again, even for Rs 100 crore. “I was the backbone in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. I was the backbone in Devdas too,” he said. “I had seen his ego. Fear had crept in that I work so hard, and he takes the credit.”

Ismail Darbar composed the celebrated soundtracks of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas, both instrumental in shaping SLB's early cinematic legacy. The two reunited for Heeramandi, but the collaboration fell apart midway due to undisclosed differences.