Esha Deol opens up about confronting Hema Malini over Dharmendra’s first marriage

Esha Deol has shared a candid insight into her family dynamics, revealing that she was made aware of her father Dharmendra's first marriage at a surprisingly young age. In her mother Hema Malini's biography, Hema Malini: Beyond the Dream Girl by Ram Kamal Mukherjee, Esha recounts how she learned about her father's past relationship when she was just in Class 4.

Esha spoke about her family dynamic in Hema Malini’s biography, Hema Malini: Beyond the Dream Girl by Ram Kamal Mukherjee.In the book, Esha shared that she learned about her father's previous marriage when a classmate asked if she had two mothers.

Esha recalled that she was completely shocked by the query, and was quick to revert, terming it “rubbish”. She stressed that she has only one mother, but the thought stayed in her head.

Esha confessed that she confronted Hema when she reached home. She said, “At that point of time, my mom decided to tell me the truth. Imagine, we were in the fourth standard and had no idea about anything Nowadays kids are much smarter... So, that was when I understood that my mother had married someone who was already married to another lady and that they also had a family. But frankly speaking, I never felt bad about it. Till today, I don’t think there is anything wrong with it. And I give full credit to my parents for not making us ever feel uncomfortable".

Talking about the family bond, Esha has revealed that Dharmendra would come and share a meal with them every day, but he wouldn’t stay back. “When I was younger, I used to go to my friends’ houses where I would see both parents being around. That’s when I realised that it’s normal to have dads around too. But somehow, we were groomed in a way that it didn’t affect me much. I was very content with my mother and I loved my father,” she added.

Dharmendra and Hema Malini first met in 1970 while working on the film Tum Haseen Main Jawaan. The two stars married in 1980 and went on to have two daughters, Esha and Ahana Deol. Hema is Dharmendra’s second wife; his first marriage was to Prakash Kaur in 1954. They had two sons, Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol, who later followed their father into the film industry.

Dharmendra’s marriage to Hema Malini was reportedly conducted while he was still married to Prakash Kaur, making it a subject of public interest for many years. Despite the challenges, Esha expressed that she has always had a harmonious relationship with both her parents, and their pasts never defined their present family life.

Throughout their careers, Dharmendra and Hema Malini became one of Bollywood’s most beloved on-screen couples, starring together in iconic films like Sholay, The Burning Train, Raja Jani, and Dharm Aur Qanoon, among many others.

As Esha Deol continues to reflect on her upbringing, it’s clear that despite the complexities of her family’s past, she has always felt supported and loved by both her parents.