Esha Deol Says 'Orthodox' Dharmendra Wanted Her To Marry At 18, Not Enter Films: 'Women In His House Were...'

Esha Deol and Bharat Takhtani were teenage sweethearts and after several years of dating, tied the knot in 2012. However, Esha’s ‘orthodox’ father, Dharmendra, wanted the actress to get married when she was 18 years old. Esha said Dharmendra grew up in a culture where women would get married young, so he wanted the same for his daughter.

Speaking to Hauterrfly, Esha said, “He didn’t want that I should enter the movies. He is a bit orthodox, rightfully so… He is a Punjabi father, and he wanted that we should get married, settle down at 18. That is his conditioning, he is coming from a place where all the women in his house were brought up that way. But my upbringing was very different.”

Esha wanted to follow her mother Hema Malini’s footsteps and make a name for herself as a successful actress. “I knew I wanted to be someone, but it took a while to convince him (Dharmendra). It was not easy, but today is a different story,” she said.

The actress made her debut in Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe in 2002. She faced comparisons with her mother every step of the way but became a household name after Dhoom. Esha became the epitome of a bold and daring persona after her electrifying performance in Dhoom Machale, the hit song from her 2004 film Dhoom.

Following the massive success of Sanjay Gadhvi’s action thriller, she appeared in several other films, such as Dus, LOC: Kargil, Yuva and No Entry, but struggled to make a lasting impact on the audience. After taking a break from the industry, Esha has returned to start a new inning in her career. Esha was most recently seen in Hunter: Tootega Nahi Todega.

As for her marriage, Esha Deol married Bharat Takhtani in 2012. They have two daughters, Radhya, born in 2017 and Miraya, born in 2019. Earlier this year, Esha and Bharat announced their separation. “We have mutually and amicably decided to part ways. Through this shift in our lives, the best interests and welfare of our two children is and will be of utmost importance to us. We’d appreciate our privacy is respected,” they said in a statement to the Delhi Times.