Composer Ismail Darbar, known for his work in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's films Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas, opened up about his two marriages in a chat with Vickey Lalwani. He also denied rumours that he forced his second wife to convert to Islam from Hinduism. He confessed that he hid his second marriage from his first wife, Farzana, though they were living separately at the time.
Did Ismail Darbar Force Preeti to Convert to Islam?
Darbar's second wife was known as Preeti before she converted to Islam. She is now called Ayesha.
Denying the rumours that he forced Preeti to convert, Ismail Darbar said she converted by her own choice. "I didn't tell her. She did by her own accord."
Speaking about her importance in his life, Darbar said, "She played a mother, sister as well as a wife to me. She left her career to raise a family. It was not easy for a woman who was getting offers for films."
When asked if he stopped her from working after marriage, Darbar said, "No, I don't believe in telling people to do things. She did on her own. She dresses me till this day, she ties my shoelaces."
What Ismail Darbar Said About His First Wife Farzana
When asked if his first wife Farzana protested against his second marriage to Ayesha by publicly getting together with some friends, he said, "The thing is that she never expected me to do something like this. In any case, I was giving her the signal for around 10 years."
He explained, "She trusted that I wouldn't take a step like this, but when two people don't get along, this is bound to happen."
Asked if he had cheated on his first wife Farzana — with whom he shares two sons, Awez and Zaid — Darbar said their conflicts were at the peak when he was dating Preeti, whom he married later.
"One day, after we had had an argument, I called Ayesha and we went for a drive. After an hour, I stopped the car and asked her to marry me. She said yes. To be very frank, I started developing feelings for her. I had no idea at the time that she was engaged to a wealthy man. She had a bright future ahead of her. She would hang on to my every word; she thought I was a great music director. She became too attached to me after these heart-to-heart conversations," Ismail Darbar recalled.
Ismail said that after Ayesha said yes, he called his mother and told her that he was going to get married again.
Asked if he was still living with his first wife at the time, he said, "Yes, but our differences were at a peak then. I had actually moved out and had been living in a different house for two months... I didn't tell her anything, and I straight away went and got married to Ayesha in Surat."
During the same interview, Darbar said he doesn't support Zaid's wife Gauahar working after marriage.
