Ismail Darbar Admits Being Heartbroken After Sanjay Leela Bhansali Replaced Him In Heeramandi; Says, “He Betrayed Me Twice”

Ismail Darbar has reignited his feud with former friend Sanjay Leela Bhansali, accusing the filmmaker of betrayal over Heeramandi. The renowned composer and Bhansali have a history of collaboration; Darbar scored music for many of Bhansali’s early hits, including the iconic soundtracks of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas. The two were poised to reunite for Heeramandi, Bhansali’s ambitious project, before the director decided to take on the music himself.

Ismail Darbar Reveals Being Heartbroken After Sanjay Leela Bhansali Replaced Him In Heeramandi

In an interview with Subhojit Ghosh on YouTube, Darbar reflected on his departure from Heeramandi, a project that had been in development for over five years before its release in 2024. He claimed, “He betrayed me, not once, but twice. He promised to work with me and then backed out. I spent 1.5 years working on Heeramandi, and he didn’t inform me before replacing me.”

Darbar further said that Bhansali later tried to mend fences by inviting him to the show’s premiere, but he felt too hurt to attend. “We used to argue during the making of every song. I respect him a lot because he gave my family and me a lot of love. We shared a good bond until Heeramandi. He called me personally to invite me to the premiere and said I was the only one he wanted there. But by then, my heart was already broken. If Sanjay and I had worked on Heeramandi together, we could have created history,” Darbar added.

About Heeramandi

Heeramandi, created and directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, was initially conceived as a film in the 2000s. After years of development hell, it was revived as a web series post-pandemic. The show featured Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Sharmin Segal, and Taha Shah Badussha. It premiered on Netflix in May 2024 to mostly negative reviews. However, it achieved remarkable success on the platform, breaking viewership records in its first week.

A second season is currently in development. Bhansali handled all original songs, while Benedict Taylor composed the background score. Darbar, who began his career with Bhansali’s Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam in 1999—earning a National Award. He has composed music for around two dozen films throughout his career.

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