Daboo Mallik reflects on son Amaal Mallik feeling 'undervalued'; says 'We, as parents, were at fault'

Music composer Daboo Mallik has opened up about his elder son Amaal Mallik’s emotional social media outburst earlier this year, which stirred public conversation about family relationships, sibling rivalry, and mental health in the entertainment industry.

Post on Mental Health

Earlier this year, Amaal shared an honest post about his battle with clinical depression and his strained relationship with his younger brother, singer Armaan Malik. He said part of the rift came from how their parents guided their careers. Despite composing 126 songs over more than a decade, Amaal often felt 'undervalued' in the family, which he admitted took a toll on his confidence and mental health.

Daboo’s reaction

Speaking to journalist Vickey Lalwani, Daboo Mallik admitted that he was taken by surprise when he read his son’s statement.

“First, I thought, ‘Another gimmick has happened, or what?’ And then, when I read the article, I realised that something was drastically wrong. It’s very interesting, the moment I read that letter, from that time to the next 15 days, I was at Amaal’s place. He lives a short distance from our home.

I went there, hugged him, and asked, ‘What have I missed?’"Speaking about his time with his son, he shared, "I was there the whole day and night.

Then I realised that this public outburst which shouldn’t have come out in public in the first place, happened because there must have been something in his heart that he wanted the world, including his family, to know. And I accepted that we, as parents, were at fault.""Sometimes we take one of the children for granted, and in this case, Amaal was the elder one," he shared and added, "We assumed he was like a parent to Armaan, so we all worked together on Armaan’s career.

We wanted him to be a singer and a pop star, which he has now become beautifully."

Overlooking Amaal’s dreams

Daboo also admitted that while the family put a lot of effort into building Armaan’s singing career, they unintentionally overlooked Amaal’s desire to be in the spotlight too. He reflected that they missed the signs of him feeling left out and didn’t realise how certain remarks were affecting him.Comparing the situation to the music industry, he said, "In today’s time, Pritam cannot get Arijit’s fame, and there won’t be hero worship of Pritam like there is for Arijit because Pritam is a composer, and Arijit is a singer. Another example is Himesh Reshammiya. He offered songs to Sonu Nigam, Shaan, Sunidhi Chauhan, everyone has sung for his films.

But when Himesh was doing a concert, nobody supported him, because it’s logical that nobody wants to share their equity. And that’s when he decided he would sing himself."

Amaal felt left out

When asked if Amaal felt Armaan was becoming the more popular face while he stayed behind the scenes, Daboo replied, “One hundred percent.” He explained that people often assume composers work in the background while singers enjoy the limelight. However, he added, the issue wasn’t only about one son getting more public attention — it was also about balance within the family.

"If one child is given more prominence at home than the other," he said, "it’s natural for the other to feel left out.

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Amaal’s musical journey

Amaal Mallik is an award-winning Indian music composer, producer, and singer, famous for delivering hit songs in Bollywood films, independent music, and brand projects. The elder son of music director Daboo Mallik and brother of singer Armaan Malik, he began his career as a composer in 2014. He quickly made his mark with chart-toppers like 'Main Hoon Hero Tera', 'Sooraj Dooba Hain', and 'Bol Do Na Zara'.