Aishwarya Rai and Salman Khan were reportedly dating from 1999 to 2002.
New Delhi:
Music composer Ismail Darbar recently spoke about his strained relationship with filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali. He said he would never collaborate with him again.
What's Happening
- In a recent conversation with Vickey Lalwani, Ismail Darbar revealed that their equation soured during the making of Bhansali's Netflix project Heeramandi.
- The composer claimed he had been working on the series for more than a year before a disagreement led him to exit the project.
- Darbar, who earlier worked with Bhansali on Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas, reflected on how their association evolved over the years.
- "When I needed work, he gave me Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, and when he needed me, I gave up all the work I had for him. He was my godfather in the industry, after all... My heart tells me that his equation with Salman soured because he hired Shah Rukh for Devdas. Salman supported him even when Khamoshi flopped. Isn't it obvious? If I help you out twice, and the third time, you go and hire my competitor, I would be upset?" he said.
- Darbar also addressed the speculation that Salman Khan was not cast in Devdas because of his alleged past with Aishwarya Rai.
- "The news of their fights was all over the media. We used to feel bad; they were so close, they shouldn't have been fighting. But these are all things of the past; even Salman is smart enough to never speak about it," he added.
Background
In a separate conversation with the same host, ad filmmaker Prahlad Kakkar shared that he had personally witnessed Salman and Aishwarya's disagreements. Living in the same building as Aishwarya at the time, Kakkar said she was deeply affected by the industry's response after their breakup.
Her greatest hurt was being abandoned by the industry for Salman. That was her greatest hurt. She really felt bad," he said, adding "That's where her commitment to the industry actually cracked... She felt very, very betrayed by the industry."
