Esha Deol reveals her father Dharmendra wanted her to marry at 18 due to his ‘orthodox’ beliefs 18 : Bollywood News

Esha Deol, the daughter of Bollywood icons Dharmendra and Hema Malini, recently shared in an interview how her father, the legendary Dharmendra, was initially against her entering the film industry. While her passion for acting was inspired by her mother’s career, her father had different plans for her future.

Esha Deol reveals her father Dharmendra wanted her to marry at 18 due to his ‘orthodox’ beliefs

In a conversation with Hauterrfly, Esha revealed that her father, who holds traditional views, wanted her to marry at the young age of 18. "He is a bit orthodox, rightfully so… He is a Punjabi father, and he wanted us to get married and settle down at 18. That is his conditioning. He comes from a place where all the women in his family were brought up that way," she explained.

Despite Dharmendra’s initial reservations, Esha’s upbringing with her mother, Hema Malini, deeply influenced her decision to pursue a career in acting. “I knew I wanted to be someone, but it took a while to convince him. It was not easy, but today is a different story,” the actress shared, emphasizing that her journey to convincing her father was a challenging one.

A strict upbringing and a rebellious phase
Esha also opened up about her strict upbringing, particularly under the watchful eye of her maternal grandmother. "We were not allowed to wear spaghettis and short skirts and go out. We were not allowed many late nights,” she recalled. However, like many young adults, Esha admitted to going through a rebellious phase, sneaking out for late-night outings. “There was a phase where I would lie to go out on late nights. I have done all of that, and it used to be fun, too,” she laughed.

Esha’s film career and recent return
Esha made her Bollywood debut in 2002 and rose to prominence with her role in Dhoom (2004), where her performance in the iconic song ‘Dhoom Machale’ made her a household name. She later appeared in films like Dus, LOC: Kargil, Yuva, and No Entry, but struggled to maintain the same level of success.

After a hiatus, Esha recently returned to acting and was seen in Hunter: Tootega Nahi Todega alongside Suniel Shetty.

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