Esha Deol reveals 'orthodox' Dharmendra wanted her to settle down at 18 years old instead of acting

Dharmendra and Esha Deol

Actress Esha Deol, daughter of famous actor Dharmendra, had a tough time breaking into the film industry, even with her family's influence. Her father, who holds traditional values, was against her becoming an actress and would have preferred she get married and settle down by the time she was 18.

Esha Deol recalls Dharmendra did not want her to act

In a recent interview with Hauterfly, she 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."

"There was a phase where I would lie to go out on late nights," she added.

Esha Deol described her father as "rightfully orthodox," explaining that his views came from how he was raised. She mentioned that he wanted her to marry early, which was common in his environment. Esha added that, while her father, being Punjabi, expected her to be married and settled by 18, her own upbringing was quite different.

Esha Deol on Hema Malini's golden advice to survive in Bollywood

Meanwhile, in an interview with Zoom, Esha Deol shared that she was "really excited" to start her career in movies. However, the pressure kicked in after her films were released and people started writing about her. She recalled thinking, "The pressure pump started after the films released and things were written. Then I was like, they are comparing me in my first film to my mother who has done 200 films. And they would say a lot about my baby fat. ‘Oh she has so much baby fat'. I had, I was 18, those cheeks were there. But they looked cute in those roles, the kind of roles that I did, I thought they looked nice."

Esha shared that after hearing those comments, she talked to her mother, who advised her to reconsider if she really wanted to stay in the industry. Her mother (Hema Malini) reminded her that to survive in the entertainment business, you need to have thick skin. She recalled, "Then I had a chat with my mom. I told her that I am getting a little overwhelmed and these things are being written. I don't know how to handle it but it's affecting me. Then she said ‘why are you here?' I said I have always wanted to join movies and act and this is something I have been wanting to do since I was a kid. She said ‘just focus on the goal, this is going to be part of it, you are my daughter, there is going to be constant comparisons. If you are going to let it affect you, then you are in the wrong profession, if you can handle it, then continue.' So that was a golden tip that I got."