Esha Deol Revealed Dharmendra Was 'Orthodox', 'He Wanted Me To Get Married And Settle Down At 18'

Dharmendra was an iconic figure in Indian cinema. His death on November 24, 2025, left the entire industry mourning and his family grief-stricken. Over his 65-year career, Dharmendra acted in over 300 films, including superhits such as Seeta Aur Geeta, Yaadon Ki Baarat, Sholay, Dharam Veer, Anupama, Chupke Chupke, and many more.

While Dharmendra had a flourishing career in Bollywood, his children, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, and Esha Deol, too, followed in his footsteps. But do you know, Dharmendra was against the idea of Esha joining Bollywood and wanted to get her married? However, Esha convinced Dharmendra and made her career in Bollywood.

Esha Deol called Dharmendra ‘orthodox’ as he wanted her to get married at 18

In an interview with Hauterrfly, Esha Deol talked about her father, Dharmendra, who was raised in an orthodox setup. She also revealed that the veteran actor was against the idea of her joining films and said:

“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.”

Dharmendra liked his daughters, Esha Deol and Ahana Deol, dressed up in salwar kameez

In a throwback interview with Simi Garewal, Hema Malini talked about her married life with Dharmendra and shared that whenever he is in Mumbai, he makes sure to meet the family and asks his daughters about their studies. In the same interaction, Hema revealed that Dharmendra would like their daughter, Esha and Ahana, to dress up in salwar kameez. She further shared that their daughters deck themselves up in salwar kameez whenever he comes home.

When Esha Deol questioned her dad, Dharmendra’s reluctance to let her dance

During her appearance on an episode of Koffee With Karan season 2, Hema Malini revealed that Dharmendra never wanted Esha to act. However, it was Esha who questioned her dad about his decision. Recalling the same, Hema revealed that Esha asked if her parents and brothers could work in films, then how could it be a problem. Elaborating on the same, Hema said:

“She asked me the question: ‘If you can work in films, papa can work, brothers are working in films, why do you say that it is not good?’ He could not answer anything so he had to keep quiet and she started working." 

Esha Deol’s acting career

Esha Deol made her acting debut in 2002 with the film, Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe. She later appeared in films such as Na Tum Jaano Na Hum, Doom, Dus, Kaal, Yuva, No Entry, and many others. Esha took a hiatus from acting after 2011 and starred in only a handful of projects afterward. She then made her comeback in 2022 with the film, Rudra: The Edge of Darkness.

What do you think about Dharmendra’s reluctance to support Esha Deol’s career in Bollywood?

Also Read: Dharmendra's Sweet Gesture For Hema Malini During Her Delivery, 'Nobody Knew Hema Was Pregnant'

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