Ismail Darbar
Season Journey CompleteIsmail Darbar
Bio
Ismail Darbar (born 12 April 1962 in Mumbai, Maharashtra) is an Indian Bollywood film music composer. His family has deep musical roots: his grandfather Ismail Khan was a shehnai (wind instrument) player in the court of the Nizam of Hyderabad, and his father Ustad Ghulam Darbar Khan was also a classical musician. Ismail began learning sitar at age 7 from his father and initially worked as a background violinist, playing in studio orchestras while building his composing skills. His career breakthrough came when Sanjay Leela Bhansali selected him to compose for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999, starring Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn, and Aishwarya Rai) — a film whose songs, including 'Nimbooda' and 'Aankhon Ki Gustakhiyaan', became iconic and earned Ismail the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director. He continued his collaboration with Bhansali on Devdas (2002, featuring 'Maar Daala' and 'Dola Re Dola'), winning a second Filmfare Award. Other notable compositions include Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai (2000) and Chalte Chalte (2003). His son Darshan Raval is now one of India's most successful independent pop singers. In October 2009, he entered Bigg Boss Season 3, competing for 32 days before being evicted in Week 5, finishing 12th overall.
Composing the music for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999, starring Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai) — winning the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director; composing for Devdas (2002, winning Filmfare Award for Best Music Director) and Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai (2000); father of singer Darshan Raval.