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

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.”