Ismail Darbar is one of the most acclaimed music directors of Bollywood who carved a distinct niche for himself through his unique musical creations. He is also recognized as a proficient violinist. His first break as a music director came with the movie Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. His musical compositions in the film rendered him recognition in the music industry earning him esteemed awards including the National Film Award. He has also judged singing reality shows and has composed music for television shows as well.
Early Life of Ismail Darbar
Ismail Darbar was born on 1st June 1964 in Surat, Gujarat. His musical career began as a session violinist and he worked with some of the eminent music directors of Hindi film industry such as Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Kalyanji Anandji, Bappi Lahiri, Rajesh Roshan, Anand-Milind, Nadeem-Shravan, Jatin-Lalit, A. R. Rahman and others.
Career of Ismail Darbar
Ismail Darbar had played violin with Jatin-Lalit for the movie "Khamoshi: The Musical†and also for many other films. He got break in the Hindi film industry as a music director in the year 1999 for the film “Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam" in which he worked under the prominent director Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The film featured Ajay Devgan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Salman Khan in the lead roles. In his very first venture he garnered huge appreciations and prestigious accolades. Subsequently he composed music for Bhansali`s Devdas in 2002, which once again received much appreciation. The duo however did not work in any more projects owing to personal differences.
In the following years he composed music for some other Bollywood flicks such as "Shakti: The Power", "Baaz: A Bird in Danger", "Deewangee" and "Tera Jadoo Chal Gayaa" but could not acquire much popularity. In the year 2005, he co-composed some songs for Subhash Ghai`s film "Kisna: The Warrior Poet" along with A. R. Rahman. The music of the movie was critically acclaimed and Ghai had stated that the music of the film was brilliant and the tracks of Ismail could not be distinguished from those of Rahman`s. He has also composed music for a Telugu film Vishnu and Hindi mythological television drama series Mahabharata which was aired on STAR Plus.
Ismail Darbar appeared on Zee TV`s Indian musical program Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2005 as a judge along with Himesh Reshammiya, Aadesh Shrivastava and Jatin-Lalit. He also judged the shows Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007, Bharat Ki Shaan: Singing Star - Season 2 and Amul Star Voice of India 2. In the year 2007, he released a music album Rasiya Saajan. He has also been a part of the reality show Bigg Boss Season 3 which was aired on Colors TV. In 2011, he got involved in state level politics by joining BJP Gujarat.
Works of Ismail Darbar
The films which Ismail Darbar has composed music for are enlisted below:
| Year | Movie |
| 1999 | Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam |
| 2000 | Tera Jadoo Chal Gayaa |
| 2002 | Deewangee |
| 2002 | Devdas |
| 2002 | Desh Devi |
| 2002 | Shakti: The Power |
| 2003 | Baaz: A Bird in Danger |
| 2003 | Vishnu |
| 2005 | Kisna: The Warrior |
| 2006 | Husn |
| 2006 | Debojit |
| 2007 | Rasiya Saajan |
| 2008 | Mehbooba |
| 2009 | The Unforgettable |
| 2013 | Mahabharat |
| 2013 | Kaanchi |
| 2014 | Ssimran |
| 2014 | Ek Tho Chance |
| 2014 | Gurudakshina |
| 2016 | Santheyalli Nintha Kabira |