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Ismail Darbar Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 29, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth1 June 1964

Age59 Years

BirthplaceSurat, Gujarat

ProfessionMusic Composer, Musician, Singer, Music Director

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseAyesha I Darbar

FamilyChildren: Zaid Darbar, Awez Darbar, Moonzarin Darbar, Anam Darbar, Imaan Darbar

Ismail Darbar Biography

Ismail Darbar is an Indian music composer, violinist, singer and music director from Surat, Gujarat. Best known for his award-winning score for Hum Dil De

Early life and background

Ismail Darbar was born on 1 June 1964 in Surat, Gujarat. He grew up in a musical household: his father Ahmed Darbar was a saxophone player and encouraged him to pursue music from a young age. Darbar left formal schooling after the seventh grade and began serious musical training as a teenager. He studied under Ram Prasad Sharma, the teacher associated with the Laxmikant–Pyarelal tradition, training in acting and music for around a dozen years.

Career

Darbar started his career as a working violinist for established Indian composers, contributing to sessions for names such as Laxmikant–Pyarelal, Kalyanji–Anandji, Anand–Milind, Nadeem–Shravan, Jatin–Lalit and A. R. Rahman. He is credited as a violinist on the 1996 film Khamoshi: The Musical.

His breakthrough as a film music director came with the 1999 Hindi film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. The soundtrack for that film brought him industry recognition and several awards, including the RD Burman Award in 1999 and the National Film Award for Best Music Direction in 2000. After that success he composed for prominent Hindi films including Devdas (2002), Kisna: The Warrior Poet (2005), Kaanchi (2013) and Gurudakshina (2014). He also worked across Indian cinema, composing for the Telugu film Vishnu (2003) and the Kannada film Santheyalli Nintha Kabira (2016).

Darbar has taken on roles beyond film composition. He directed the Hindi film Yeh Kaisa Tigdam in 2018 and worked as the music director for television, notably on the Star Plus mythological series Mahabharat in 2013. He has served as a judge on several Indian reality TV shows, including Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge (2005 and 2007), Amul Star Voice of India 2 (2008), Bharat Ki Shaan: Singing Star – Season 2 (2019) and The War of Talent (2021). He has appeared in music videos and took part in the reality series Bigg Boss in 2009.

Awards and recognition

Darbar’s work on Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam was honoured early in his career with the RD Burman Award (1999) and the National Film Award for Best Music Direction (2000). He later received the Screen Award for Best Music Director for Devdas (2002) and has been the recipient of later honours such as India’s Greatest Brands & Leaders Award (2019), Worlds Amazing Talent (2021) and the Panache Image Award (2021).

Public profile

Throughout his career Darbar has been a public figure both for his creative work and for moments of controversy. He has been reported to have had disputes with peers and collaborators at different times, and he was involved in a widely reported disagreement with director Sanjay Leela Bhansali after Devdas, from which they later reconciled. In 2011 he made critical public remarks about A. R. Rahman that were later softened when he described Rahman as a friend and apologized.

In 2015 Darbar, his son Zaid and two others were named in an FIR in Mumbai following an incident involving an assistant director who alleged an assault related to a salary dispute.

Darbar registered a production company, Darbar Dreams Production Private Limited (DDPPL), in Mumbai on 18 December 2009. He has also expressed an interest in contributing to public life in his home state of Gujarat, though reports that he formally joined a political party were denied by him.

Personal life

Darbar has been married twice. His second marriage, to singer Ayesha I. Darbar, took place on 18 August 2005. From his family he has several children: sons Zaid Darbar and Awez Darbar, daughters Moonzarin Darbar and Anam Darbar, and a child named Imaan Darbar from his second marriage. His sons Zaid and Awez are known as dancers and choreographers, while Anam Darbar is identified as a social media influencer.

He is known to enjoy travel in his free time. His listed musical preferences include admiration for director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and singer Lata Mangeshkar. Darbar has described himself as non-vegetarian and identifies with the Islamic faith.

Latest updates

In addition to ongoing work in film and television, Darbar continued to appear on contemporary platforms: he was part of The War of Talent on MX Player in 2021 and received awards that year recognizing his public profile and contributions. He has also appeared in music videos as recently as 2020.
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Recent Work

The War of Talent

Judge on the MX Player reality series (2021)

2021
I Bow to thee O Mother

Appeared in the music video

2020
Yeh Kaisa Tigdam

Film directed by Ismail Darbar

2018
Santheyalli Nintha Kabira

Music director for the Kannada film

2016
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Career Highlights

  1. Debut and breakthrough as music director with Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999)
  2. National Film Award for Best Music Direction (2000)
  3. Worked as violinist for leading composers before becoming a music director
  4. Music director for high-profile films including Devdas
  5. Judge on several major Indian music reality shows
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Ismail Darbar born?

1 June 1964

What is Ismail Darbar known for?

Music Composer, Musician, Singer, Music Director

What is Ismail Darbar’s marital status?

Married

Who is Ismail Darbar married to?

Ayesha I Darbar