Dharmendra Didn’t Want Daughter Esha Deol To Act In Films: ‘It Took A Long Time To Convince Him’ | Bollywood News

Dharmendra passed away on November 24.

Bollywood actor Esha Deol, who is the daughter of stars Dharmendra and Hema Malini, once said that her father was not keen on her joining films and wanted her to get married instead.

“He didn’t want me to enter films. He was rightfully orthodox because he was a Punjabi, so he wanted me to get married and settle down at 18 because that was his conditioning, he’s coming from there,” said Deol to Hauterrfly in 2024.

The actor, who won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut for “Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe”, said the women in his family are brought up that way but seeing her mom on screen made her want to do something along those lines.

“The women in his family are brought up that way. But my upbringing was very different in my house, seeing my mom act in films and her dance gave me direction. It was ingrained inside me that I wanted to do something,” she said.

Deol said it was hard to get her father on board. “It took a long time to convince him, it was not easy, but today is a different story,” she said.

Esha and Dharmendra worked together in 2011 film “Tell Me KKhuda”, directed by Hema Malini. The film also featured late stars Vinod Khanna and Rishi Kapoor and Farooq Sheikh.

Adding she “wasn’t prepared” for the comparisons between her and her mother that followed and said she recalls “feeling uncomfortable”.

Known for her roles in films such as “No Entry”, “Shaadi No. 1″ and “Kill Them Young”, Deol was most recently seen in the 2025 film “Tumko Meri Kasam” alongside Anupam Kher and Adah Sharma.