Ismail Darbar backs wife Ayesha's conversion in interfaith marriage: 'My son stands in the pooja, puts a tilak'

Ismail Darbar, the renowned music composer, has two wives: Farzana and Ayesha. His family blends faiths, since Ayesha converted from Hinduism to Islam upon marriage. Darbar often discusses this unique interfaith household. He married his second wife, Ayesha, while still married to Farzana.In a recent YouTube chat with Subhojit Ghosh, Ismail opened up about Ayesha's post-marriage journey and tackled backlash over her religious conversion from a fresh podcast. The composer reflected, “20 years of my life have been very tough. But I salute Ayesha for bearing it with me. In fact, Sanjay Leela Bhansali was so close to my family that he told me that I am saved just because of my wife, and if it was not for her, I would have been finished.” The music composer countered those mocking him and his wife over her post-marriage conversion to Islam by sharing that their son bears a Hindu name too. He explained, “After one year of my marriage, my son was born, and Bhansali named him Imaan. And his Hindu name is Maan. When he goes to his maternal grandparents’ home, he’s called Maan there. He also stands in the pooja, puts a tilak on his forehead. I have taught him to respect the religion in which he was born, but also respect all the other religions.”While still married to Farzana, Ismail Darbar disclosed his marriage to Ayesha. He firmly stated that he never pressured her to convert religions. He has two sons, Awez and Zaif, from his first marriage with Farzana.Ismail Darbar rose to fame with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ (1999), composing hits like ‘Tadap Tadap’ and ‘Dholi Taro’, earning a National Film Award for Best Music Direction. His follow-up ‘Devdas’ (2002) also won acclaim with tracks like ‘Dola Re Dola’, securing a Screen Award.