Daboo Malik: My children have carried the pain and rejection I endured for decades

In over 30 years, maybe once or twice, I voiced resentment towards Anu and said…You didn’t help me. But I hold no grudges against anyone. Nobody can make anyone a star. Everyone has their own journey. If you are relevant, if your work connects with people, who can stop you? - Daboo Malik

Daboo Malik’s journey in the entertainment industry is one of survival against the odds. After a short stint in acting, he turned to music and delivered hits like and . But with the rise of new-age sounds, he felt left behind. The loss of his father in 2006 pushed him further into despair, and he told his young sons, Amaal and Armaan, that he was done. Instead of restarting, he channelised his energy into preparing them for the future he couldn’t secure. Amaal and Armaan’s success as a composer and singer became the redemption he thought was lost.



Talking about his autobiography Never Too Late, Daboo shares, “I felt I was the right person to write it because I am not a so-called success story. I was the observer, who saw my father’s pain and then witnessed my brother’s rise and fall. Writing this lifted a huge weight off my chest.”

‘Amaal was 15 and Armaan 10 when they saw me crash’
After composing for many years, there came a time when Daboo felt his music was becoming outdated. He recalls, “I was never the kind to push or fight for opportunities, so the fault was partly mine as well. However, I believe I was a progressive composer. I still remember the day songs like Dhoom Machale and Das Bahane released…I knew then the industry was changing and that I was history. In 2006, when I lost my father, I felt broken. During one such low moment, I came home, hugged my kids and told them…I am done. Amaal was 15 and Armaan 10, and they just saw their father crash. Instead of restarting, I chose to dedicate my energy to preparing my children because I knew deep down that they would succeed. And the rest, as they say, is history.”

Reflecting on that phase, he says, “My children have carried the pain and rejection I endured for nearly two decades. In hindsight, I feel they turned it into strength. For them, the greatest high is bringing a smile to my face.”

‘As parents, humse galti ho gayi’
Life threw another curveball in March, when Amaal announced on social media that he had cut ties with his family, accusing his parents of favouring Armaan. Daboo admits, “What Amaal said was true, and I thank him for making me realise it. We put all our focus on Armaan. In the process, we forgot what we needed to do for Amaal. Jo mere saath nahi hua, woh humne literally force kiya Amaal ko ki Armaan ka haath pakad kar isko superstar banaye. When I heard his side, I realised ki parents se galti ho gayi.” He adds, “It was hard for my wife to accept it because woh ek school teacher jaisi thi, bas yeh karna hai, yeh nahi. Usko laga woh kuchh galat kar hi nahi rahi. Par nahi, galti hui hai. I told Amaal, ‘Jab tu bada ho raha tha, main bada hua hi nahi. I was learning to be a father’. That is when he broke down. I told him jokingly that from being unnoticed to suddenly being targeted, he made me a star overnight. Honestly, his decision to write a post about his feelings was a good one, else it would not have been such an eye-opener for us. In the end, what happened brought the family closer.”

‘If Anu (Malik) worked harder and got a film, it doesn’t mean he shortchanged me’
For long, there have been whispers of tension between Daboo and his elder brother, music composer-singer Anu Malik. Amaal even alleged that Anu sabotaged his father’s career. Daboo clarifies, “I told Amaal that the way he processed dinner table conversations came across as resentment. He cannot be the one to tell the story. I would not allow anybody to blame Anu, whether it is my own son or anyone else. If he worked harder and got a film, it doesn’t mean he shortchanged me. I got my share of opportunities. Blaming belittles my thought process, and I do not appreciate it.”

He adds, “In over 30 years, maybe once or twice, I voiced resentment towards my brother, saying, ‘You didn’t help me’. But I gold no grudges against anyone. Nobody can make anyone a star. Everyone has their own destiny and journey. If you are relevant, if your work connects, who can stop you?”

He continues, “The amount of love Anu has showered on me is unreal. Sometimes he surprises me with the kind of personal love he has for me. His love can be defined as even if I have a cold, and he finds out, he will shake up the world to help me. If we are always talking anti-Anu, the world should also know he has tremendous love for his younger brother.”

‘Sometimes so much water flows under the bridge that nothing can be done’
When asked why he hasn’t tried to bridge the gap between the two families, Daboo explains, “The gap couldn’t be bridged because there was a huge disparity in our success stories. For 25 years, Anu became alienated, not just from my children, but also from our parents. We were two parallel tracks, one a star, the other still struggling. The disconnect became so wide that my children couldn’t reach him anymore. He moved ahead in life, and we weren’t part of that journey. It wasn’t an inclusive success story. We watched from the sidelines, trying to make ends meet. But he wasn’t expected to carry the whole family on his shoulders. Sometimes so much water flows under the bridge that nothing can be done.”