Ismail Darbar reacts to AR Rahman’s communal remark: ‘No muslim like Dilip Kumar would have become a star’

3 min readChennaiFeb 24, 2026 03:48 PM IST

AR Rahman recently stated that he has been getting fewer opportunities in Bollywood in recent times, attributing it to what he described as the industry becoming increasingly “communal.” His remark divided the film industry, with many siding with the composer while others opposed his view. Now, music composer Ismail Darbar has reacted to Rahman’s statement.

In a conversation with Subhojit Ghosh on his YouTube channel, Ismail shared that if the industry were truly communal, no Muslim would have ever become a superstar in Hindi cinema. He cited the example of Dilip Kumar, whose real name was Muhammad Yusuf Khan, and said, “If the industry was communal then, no Muslim in this country would have become a star. There would have not been Ismail Darbar, Naushad or Dilip Kumar. They wouldn’t have become stars if this was the case.”

Refuting Rahman’s claim, Ismail added, “It is all about talent and your fate.” He also took a jibe at Rahman and said, “Also, what deficiency do you have in life that your stomach is not getting filled. The God has given you everything, so live nicely. You are very talented, you design sound very nicely. You don’t make good songs, but you are a good sound designer.”

This is not the first time Ismail Darbar has taken a potshot at AR Rahman. In 2011, after Rahman won an Oscar for his music in the 2009 Hollywood film Slumdog Millionaire, Ismail accused him of buying the award. He had said, “I just don’t understand how the music for that movie won the prestigious award. What was Oscar-worthy about it? Nothing. I would have been happy had he won it for films like Roja or Bombay but not for Slumdog. He did not deserve it. Aur, mujhe pata hai ki ise kharida gaya hai (And, I know that it has been bought).” Rahman had reacted to Ismail’s claims and said, “Oscars cannot be bought.”

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Earlier this year, Rahman spoke to BBC Asian Network about getting lesser work in the film industry. He said, “Maybe I never get to know of this, maybe it was concealed but I didn’t feel any of this. Maybe in the past eight years because a power shift has happened and people who are not creative have the power now. It might be a communal thing also… but it is not in my face. It comes to me as Chinese whispers that they booked you but the music company went ahead and hired their 5 composers. I say good, I have more time to chill with my family. I am not in search for work. I don’t want to go in search for work. I want work to come to me; my sincerity to earn work. Whatever I deserve, I get.”

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