Esha Deol reveals THIS 'golden tip' Hema Malini gave her to survive in Bollywood

Esha Deol and Hema Malini

Esha Deol, daughter of Bollywood stars Hema Malini and Dharmendra, made her film debut in the early 2000s with a lot of buzz. In a recent interview, she shared that she didn't feel much pressure to live up to her parents' legacy when she signed her first two films. However, after the films were released, she started feeling "overwhelmed" by the audience's reactions.

Esha Deol reveals 'overwhelming' comparisons with Hema Malini

Esha mentioned that she was often compared to her mother, Hema Malini, who had been a superstar for years, which felt unfair since she was just starting her career. Her debut was in the 2002 film Koi Mere Dil Se Pooche.

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 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."