Ismail Darbar breaks silence on feuds with Pritam, A.R. Rahman, Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Mumbai: Music composer Ismail Darbar, known for his work in acclaimed films like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas, has opened up about his strained relationships with fellow composers Pritam, A.R. Rahman, and filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, while also reflecting on his journey and the changing face of Bollywood music.
Speaking on Vickey Lalwani’s podcast, Darbar revisited several controversies from his career and offered candid insights into his past remarks. “I won’t say things like ‘today’s music isn’t good at all.’ I like it a lot. There are people who’ve been working for a long time and are still making good music. Songs like Kalank or Saiyaara are great, and I listen to Kalank at least once a week,” he said.
Darbar revealed that despite past friction with Pritam, he once called the composer to congratulate him for Kalank, though he later laughed it off as a misplaced gesture. “The rift happened because I once called him a ‘chor’ (thief). Since then, he’s been miffed with me. Everyone borrows music; no one is walking a straight line. Even I’ve done it, but I’ve been honest about it. Later, I found out Kalank too was inspired, so I thought, ‘Faltu call kar diya’ (I called him unnecessarily),” he said jokingly.
Addressing his long-standing comments about A.R. Rahman’s Oscar win for Slumdog Millionaire, Darbar maintained that he stood by his earlier statement that the award had been “bought.” He claimed the Academy had contacted him following those remarks. “They called me and said they’d charge me with slander unless I gave them proof. I told them, ‘Come here, and I’ll give you proof.’ No one came, everyone ran away. That’s because it was the truth,” he said, while adding that he later sent Rahman a message apologising for criticising such a prestigious honour.
Darbar also spoke about his fallout with filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, with whom he had collaborated on several iconic soundtracks. Making his stance clear, he said reconciliation was out of the question. “Today, if Sanjay comes and says, ‘Please do the music for my film, I’ll give you ₹100 crore,’ I’ll tell him, ‘Pehli fursat mein chale jaa yahan se’ (Leave immediately),” Darbar said firmly.
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3 officials of private banks arrested in Gujarat in Rs 2,500 crore cyber fraud; 20 held so far
Rajkot (PTI): Three officials of leading private banks were arrested for their alleged involvement in a Rs 2,500-crore cyber fraud racket in Gujarat's Rajkot district, bringing the number of those held so far in the case to 20, police said on Monday.
Those arrested were identified as Maulik Kamani, a personal manager at Yes Bank in Padadhari; Kalpesh Dangariya, a manager at Axis Bank in Jamnagar; and Anurag Baldha, a personal banker with HDFC Bank, Rajkot (Rural) Superintendent of Police Vijay Gurjar said.
Dangariya and Baldha were previously employed with Yes Bank, he added.
Kamani allegedly assisted the earlier arrested accused in opening and managing suspicious accounts. He also helped bypass banking alerts triggered by high-value transactions by submitting additional documentation to keep accounts active, the SP said.
Kamani was allegedly involved in cash withdrawals that were later routed through hawala channels (illegal money transfer system), supported by digital evidence recovered from his mobile device, he added.
Dangariya is accused of facilitating the opening of fraudulent accounts using fake or misrepresented identities, police said.
He also assisted in structuring documentation, including Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC)-related papers, to prevent transactions from being flagged as suspicious, they said.
On the other hand, Baldha opened new accounts after verification and certification processes as part of the racket, Gurjar informed.
All the three accused are in police custody, while others are in jail under judicial remand, SP said.
So far, police have identified 85 bank accounts linked to the racket with 535 complaints filed on the cyber crime portal.
The total transaction linked to the cyber fraud exceeds Rs 2,500 crore, police said.
The earlier fraud amount was pegged by police at Rs 1,500 crore.
