Esha Deol

Early life and family

Esha Deol was born in Bombay (present Mumbai) on 2 November 1981. She is the elder daughter of Bollywood actors Dharmendra and Hema Malini. She has a younger sister named Ahana. She is the younger half sister of actors Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol and the first cousin of actor Abhay Deol. Her father was a Punjabi Jat, and her mother is a Tamil Hindu Iyengar Brahmin. Deol is fluent in speaking Tamil, Hindi and English.

Career

Debut and early work (2002–2003)

She started her acting career in a lead role with Vinay Shukla's Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe (2002) opposite Aftab Shivdasani, with Sanjay Kapoor, Jaya Bachchan and Anupam Kher playing supporting roles. The movie was a box office failure. Deol received mixed reactions from critics upon her performance. Savera R Someshwar of Rediff.com wrote "Esha, as a person, exudes a confidence that almost borders on arrogance." Rakesh Budhu of Planet Bollywood wrote "She isn't horrible, but given the hype, the demands and of course, comparisons, she surely isn't up to the mark. … Of course, she is nowhere close to being a washout and if you are her fan you can appreciate the other aspects of her performances without completely losing faith in her future projects." Despite mixed reactions and box office failure, Deol won numerous awards for her performance including the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut at the 48th Filmfare Awards.

Deol's second film was Arjun Sablok's love triangle Na Tum Jaano Na Hum opposite Saif Ali Khan and Hrithik Roshan. Taran Adarsh of IndiaFm praised her acting and wrote "it is Esha Deol who surprises you with a mature performance. Although her looks are inconsistent, the youngster takes on the role with utmost sincerity and comes out with a natural performance. She has been better presented when compared to her debut film." Bhavna Giani of Rediff praised Deol's acting and dancing and compared it to Deol's mother Hema Malini. Deol's third and final release of the year was Sanjay Chhel's Kyaa Dil Ne Kahaa opposite Tusshar Kapoor. It was Deol's third consecutive flop but she earned critical acclaim and Taran Adarsh observed that it was her better performance as compared to her previous two films.

Deol's first two movies of 2003: Kucch To Hai and Chura Liyaa Hai Tumne were box office failures. For Kucch To Hai, Deol earned mixed reviews from Taran Adarsh, who wrote "Esha Deol shows improvement in terms of performance as well as her overall appearance." Taran Adarsh considered Deol to be "alright" in Chura Liyaa Hai Tumne.

Deol was one of the heroines of J.P. Dutta's multi starrer war epic LOC: Kargil and was paired with Abhishek Bachchan. Though Deol and all the other heroines could not get much scope, she earned critical acclaim for her performance. The film became the sixth highest-grossing film of the year.

Breakthrough (2004–2008)

In 2004, Deol made her debut in Tamil cinema by playing a French teacher in Mani Ratnam's political film Aayutha Ezhuthu opposite Suriya. She earned critical acclaim for her performance. Sify.com defined her as "surprisingly fresh and sparkling". To prepare for her role, Deol learned nuances of the language with Mani Ratnam's assistant R. Kannan. This was the only Tamil film she ever acted in. After completing Aaytha Ezhuthu, Deol started filming the Hindi version of the movie titled Yuva. In Yuva, Deol repeated the same role and was paired opposite Ajay Devgn. Both movies were released on the same date but could not attain success. Yuva had a below average opening and flopped at the box office.

Deol finally got her breakthrough with Yash Raj Films' action film Dhoom opposite Abhishek Bachchan, John Abraham, Uday Chopra and Rimi Sen. It was Deol's first action role and she was paired opposite Chopra. The film had a decent opening and became a hit at the box office, becoming the fourth-highest-grossing film of the year. Deol did not get much scope in the film, but her performance earned her a nomination for the IIFA Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 6th IIFA Awards.

After the success of Dhoom, Deol starred in Krishna Vamsi's war film Insan opposite Akshay Kumar. It was Deol's first release of 2005. The film was a failure at the box office. Her next release was Main Aisa Hi Hoon opposite Ajay Devgn. The film was a remake of the Hollywood movie I Am Sam (2001). Deol played a supporting role and earned praise by Patcy N. Subhash K. Jha of IANS also praised Deol, writing: "Esha Deol as the fey unstable nomadic and maladjusted Maya is a mix of Zeenat Aman in Hare Rama Hare Krishna and Anooradha Patel in Ijaazat. Playing this zonked-out character Esha Deol comes into her own as an actress. Her far-way looks of pain, anger, neglect and insecurity remain with you long after the film. Yup she too has matured along with Hindi cinema."

In 2007, Deol's portrayal of a notorious and vengeful ghost for Ram Gopal Verma's Darling was reviewed positively. Her next release was Cash again opposite Ajay Devgn. In 2008, she performed her first item number in Ajay Devgn film Sunday. She further appeared in Hijack and took a sabbatical break from films for 3 years.

Hiatus and Television Debut (2011–2015)

Deol's next film was Tell Me O Kkhuda (2011) directed and produced by her mother Hema Malini. She portrayed the lead role in the film opposite Arjan Bajwa with Vinod Khanna, Rishi Kapoor and her father Dharmendra playing supporting roles. Despite having many veteran actors in the film, it failed miserably at the box office and having coming back to movies with this film after three years, the film actually drowned her career even more causing a second hiatus in her career.

Deol then made her Television debut in 2015 with reality TV show MTV Roadies as one of the judges in the show. The same year she appeared in a kannada-hindi language film Kill Them Young. It was Deol's first film in nearly four years. The film largely went unnoticed. After this Deol went on a third career hiatus.

Comeback to acting and expansion to OTT (2021{{Endash}}present)

Deol made a comeback to acting in 2021 and released her short film Ek Duaa in which she acted and also produced alongside her then husband. The film was released on Voot, and it was met with mixed to positive reviews.

Deol reunited with Ajay Devgan in the 2022 web series Rudra: The Edge of Darkness which marked her comeback. In 2023, She appeared alongside Suniel Shetty in the series Hunter Tootega Nahi Todega.

Other work

During her school days at Jamnabai Narsee School, she was passionate about football and played as a midfielder. She was the captain of her school football team, represented her college in handball at the state level. She played as a national level footballer and was also selected to play for Maharashtra in the Senior National Championship at Punjab in 2001.

Like their mother, Esha and her sister are trained in classical dance forms. Esha is a professional Odissi dancer and was also trained in Bharatanatyam.

In February 2020, Deol announced her first book Amma Mia! on Instagram. This book is a hands-on guide on parenting and children diet.

Personal life

On 29 June 2012, Esha Deol married businessman Bharat Takhtani in a low-key wedding ceremony at the ISKCON temple in Mumbai.

In April 2017, it was announced that the couple was expecting their first child. She gave birth to her daughter on 20 October 2017 at Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai and named her Radhya. On 10 June 2019, she gave birth to their second daughter, Miraya. On 6 February 2024 Deol and Takhtani announced their separation after 12 years of marriage.

Filmography

Films

• All films are in Hindi unless otherwise noted.

Television

Awards and nominations

References

References

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2. "Filmfare Awards: Winners of 2002". The Times of India.
3. (4 November 2015). "Esha Deol celebrates birthday with hubby and close friends". [[Mid-Day]].
4. (2 November 2015). "I want Esha to have a baby soon: Hema Malini". [[The Indian Express]].
5. (22 January 2019). "Esha Deol Reveals How Parents Hema Malini And Dharmendra Reacted To Her Second Pregnancy". NDTV.com.
6. "The Deols". vijaytafilms.
7. (27 June 2015). "I am a farmer's son: Dharmendra". The Hindu.
8. (7 March 2015). "My father is a die-hard Punjabi: Esha Deol". Hindustan Times.
9. (16 October 2019). "Happy Birthday Hema Malini: As original dream girl turns 71, see her family pics with Dharmendra, Esha Deol". Hindustan Times.
10. (24 June 2012). "Esha Deol's big fat wedding". The Telegraph (India).
11. (19 May 2004). "I am today's woman: Esha Deol". Rediff.com.
12. Savera R Someshwar. (11 January 2002). "Can Esha act?". [[Rediff]].
13. Rakesh Budhu. "Koi Mere Dil Se Pooche Review". Planet Bollywood.
14. Taran Adarsh. (9 May 2002). "Na Tum Jaano Na Hum Review". [[Bollywood Hungama.
15. Bhavna Giani. (10 May 2002). "Hrithik, Esha need no reason to fall in love". [[Rediff]].
16. Taran Adarsh. (28 June 2002). "Kyaa Dil Ne Kahaa Review". [[Bollywood Hungama.
17. Taran Adarsh. (24 January 2003). "Kucch To Hai Review". [[Bollywood Hungama.
18. Taran Adarsh. (24 March 2003). "Chura Liyaa Hai Tumne Review". [[Bollywood Hungama.
19. Taran Adarsh. (25 December 2003). "Loc-Kargil Review". [[Bollywood Hungama.
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26. Patcy N. (6 May 2005). "Main Aisa Hi Hoon: worth a miss!". [[Rediff]].
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28. (6 September 2007). "Review of DARLING by Taran Adarsh". Naachgaana.
29. Taran Adarsh. "Tell Me O Kkhuda – Movie Review". [[Bollywood Hungama]].
30. (15 July 2011). "Tell Me Oh Khuda's preview".
31. (8 July 2021). "Ajay Devgn welcomes Esha Deol to Disney+ Hotstar series Rudra- The Edge Of Darkness". Hindustan Times.
32. Borah, Prabalika M.. (22 February 2022). "Esha Deol happy with an organic comeback with 'Rudra'".
33. "Esha Deol Takhtani shares, 'It brings me immense pleasure to be doing action alongside Suniel Shetty in Hunter – Tootega Nahi, Todega'". Free Press Journal.
34. Sawhney, Anubha. (5 January 2002). "Of Esha & the Deol within". The Times of India.
35. Samir Gill, Anusha. (8 January 2002). "My Dream Debut". Rediff.
36. (16 October 2021). "When Hema Malini stood up against Dharmendra after he asked Esha and Ahana to not learn dance". Hindustan Times.
37. (21 August 2018). "When Little Esha And Ahana Deol Danced With Mom Hema Malini. See Throwback Pic". NDTV.
38. (10 February 2020). "Esha Deol announces her first book 'Amma Mia' based on parenting- a subject which is very close to her heart". The Times of India.
39. (24 March 2020). "Esha Deol Takhtani shares her baby care tips with 'Amma Mia'". The New Indian Express.
40. (11 June 2012). "Esha Deol to wed in temple on June 29". [[The Indian Express]].
41. Jha, Subhash K. (11 June 2012). "Esha Deol to wed in a temple". The Times of India.
42. (2017). "Hema Malini's daughter Esha Deol pregnant with her first child". The Times of India.
43. (11 June 2019). "Esha Deol blessed with a baby girl!". [[The Times of India]].
44. (6 February 2024). "Esha Deol, Bharat Takhtani confirm separation after 12 years of marriage". India TV News.
45. (19 March 2025). "Esha Deol opens up on being a single parent after divorce with Bharat Takhtani: 'Let the children not suffer, be that one unit'". The Indian Express.
46. (24 September 2014). "God knows Na Tum Jaano Na Hum is excellent". BBC.
47. (18 January 2004). "LOC-Kagil: How 'real'?". The Hindu.
48. Ashraf, Syed Firdaus. (26 August 2004). "People will love Dhoom!". Rediff.com.
49. (6 October 2004). "No Entry is no remake of Masti". Bollywood Hungama.
50. (27 May 2022). "Esha Deol slapped Amrita Rao on the sets of Pyare Mohan: 'I have no regrets because she totally deserved it'". Indian Express.
51. (16 March 2021). "Esha Deol Takhtani is back to her 'toned self', talks about her comeback in films". DNA India.
52. Roy Choudhury, Rishita. (15 July 2021). "Esha Deol unveils first look of Ek Duaa, film to premiere on Voot Select on July 26".
53. (10 January 2025). "Anupam Kher, Esha Deol wrap up Vikram Bhatt's film 'Tumko Meri Kasam'". ANI News.
54. "MTV Roadies X2 – The ride is smoother!". The Indian Express.
55. (7 July 2021). "Esha Deol to make her digital debut with Ajay Devgn-starrer web series Rudra".
56. "Esha Deol Awards". The Times of India.
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