Music of the heart


Tracking Ismail Darbar


The late nights have taken their toll. And Ismail Darbar could well fit into the role of Devdas. He's grown a beard and his eyes are bloodshot. "Well... after composing the music for Devdas, some influence is bound to rub off on me," he smiles sheepishly when I comment on his appearance. Even though he's busy recording songs for Nitin Manmohan's next at a suburban recording studio, he makes time for a short chat.
Without wasting time, I ask why he refused to score the background music of Devdas. Reports say that director Sanjay Leela Bhansali is very upset with his decision to let his assistant Monty work on the score. "Hold it, " he cautions, "this is only partly true. I did refuse to work on the background score but Sanjay isn't angry with me. I explained to him that I wouldn't be able to give my 100 per cent to the score and that I didn't want to do a half-hearted job. When he asked me to suggest someone, I felt Monty, who'd worked with me on Sanjay's Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, would be able to handle it. Monty was so charged when Sanjay and I approached him that he postponed his wedding."
The music director admires Sanjay Bhansali's passion for Devdas. "The making of Devdas hasn't been hassle-free. Sanjay has lived Devdas. I'd heard the climax of the film two-and-a-half years ago and when I saw the rushes recently, I was amazed to find that he hasn't compromised on his vision."
Before signing Ismail, Sanjay had sittings with several other music directors for Devdas. Grins Ismail, "He was irritated when I quoted Rs 60 lakhs as my price. Later, I felt ashamed. Sanjay is my godfather, maybe I shouldn't have been so stubborn. But fortunately for me, Sanjay too felt I deserved the amount. I refused 32 films to accomodate Devdas. Finally both of us are happy with what we've got."
Since music is his livelihood, how could he afford to let go of 32 films? Doesn't he feel insecure? "Not at all," he states. When Sanjay offered me Hum Dil... , he'd stipulated that I'd have to give up playing the violin which I'd been doing for 20 years. And I did. Life is all about taking risks. I'm content with the six films I have on hand. Anyway, what's the worst that can happen? I'll have to go back to playing the violin, that's all."
The music of Devdas is very different from the trendy, fast, hip numbers being churned out these days. Was it difficult to compose the classical tunes? Explains he, "Composing the music wasn't as difficult as weaving the songs into the soul of the film. As it is, Sanjay has a terrific sense of music and won't settle for anything but the best. If he likes a song, he okays it immediately. We think alike and work well together, believe it or not I composed only 18 tunes for the nine songs we needed."

Ismail Darbar was unaware of the story of Devdas before he began working on the film. Laughs he, "All I knew was that there was a lovelorn alcoholic by that name. Later, I heard of the earlier film featuring Dilip Kumar, Suchitra Sen and Vyjayanthimala." The music director chose fresh singers to croon the songs of Devdas. Will the raw lot be able to do justice to playback? Answersw he, "Sanjay and I didn't think this would make a difference. Sanjay wanted a fresh voice for Paro, so we took Shreya Ghoshal."
Usually when a film doesn't do well, the blame squarely rests on the music director's shoulders. Ismail begs to differ. Says he, "A director is solely responsible for the success or failure of every department of the film. That goes for the music too. He's the one who okays the songs for his film. Directors usually sign music directors for their commercial value. Ideally, they should first finalise their subject and then sign whoever is best suited for their project---A.R. Rahman, Ismail Darbar, Aadesh Shrivastava or Anu Malik... whoever."

So what does he think of jhatak-matak item numbers like Phatela jeb sil jaayega, Aati kya Khandala and Ishtyle? "Who am I to criticise anyone else's music?" he counters, adding, "But it's not what I call music. One can listen to such songs only for a few days. Such inane compositions kill the very soul of music." On the other hand, he also states that the majority of film- makers are reluctant to take risks. So they opt for commercially viable music. He says, "When people heard the title song of Hum Dil... they said that the rhythm was too slow. Ironically, Sanjay offered me the film after hearing that very tune."

Ismail feels that after Raj Kapoor, Sanjay is the only director who understands music. What about Yash Chopra? Ismail says, "Yash Chopra, Karan Johar and Aditya Chopra prefer music compositions on a particular scale because they're sure they'll succeed. They don't have the guts to try something new."
Sanjay Bhansali and Ismail Darbar spent five days with Birju Maharaj to compose one mujra for Devdas. Asserts Ismail, "I don't think a mujra like this has been composed in the history of Hindi cinema. Any other director would have hovered around the popularity of Pyar kiya to darna kya (Mughal-e-Azam). But Sanjay has gone in for something completely different. He doesn't think commercial." Neither, it seems, does Ismail.
What the music director yearns is a place in the annals of Indian film history. Asks he, "We still remember personalities like K. Asif, Mohammad Rafi, Guru Dutt... I'm not greedy for bungalows or swanky cars. I'm happy with whatever little I have. Generations to come won't remember the wealth that I amassed. It's my work which will speak for me, long after I'm dead and gone. I want to ensure that."