Esha Deol Reveals Why Her Bed Is Filled With Teddy Bears After Father Dharmendra's Death

Esha Deol says she misses her father Dharmendra every day, months after the legendary actor’s passing. The actress opened up about her grief while reflecting on a recent moment that brought both pride and heartbreak to her family. The occasion was the Padma Vibhushan ceremony, where Hema Malini accepted the honour on behalf of Dharmendra.

For Esha, seeing her mother receive the award for her late father was an emotional experience that stirred memories of the man she still thinks about every day. “I expressed my emotions because some moments deserve to be felt and shared. What I felt that day wasn’t just mine – it was something our family, his fans, and so many people who love him were feeling,” Esha said, in a chat with The Times Of India.

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speaking about the honour, Esha said she believes her father should have received such recognition much earlier in his career. “Yes, I believe he deserved this honour much earlier. He deserved many more, too – that’s what we feel. But honestly, knowing my father, awards were never his measure of success. The love and respect he received from people was always his greatest achievement.”

The ceremony also reminded her of the absence left behind by the actor, who died last November. “Seeing my mother accept the award on his behalf was deeply emotional. There was pride, gratitude and, of course, a wish that he could have been there himself.”

For Esha, however, the memories go far beyond one event. Asked about her favourite memory with Dharmendra, she said it is impossible to choose just one from a lifetime spent with him. “Every phase of my life has had his presence in it. It’s very difficult to pick just one. It’s a lifetime. It’s 44 years of a daughter looking up to that one man, her father. Just to be able to hold his hand, hear his voice – I miss everything about him every single day, and I always will,” she says.

The actor also shared a personal detail that continues to keep her father’s memory close.
“I always called him my Teddy Bear, and today my bed is filled with teddy bears because it just reminds me of him. The loss never really leaves. You just learn to carry it. I carry him in my heart, and I carry his strength with me wherever I am now.”

Esha also reflected on growing up as the daughter of two of Indian cinema’s most celebrated stars, Dharmendra and Hema Malini. Rather than feeling burdened by their legacy, she said she has always viewed it as a blessing. “I always say I am blessed to be born to such beautiful human beings. My parents are one of a kind and irreplaceable.
There can never be another Dharmendra or Hema Malini. I’m proud to be called Hema Malini aur Dharmendra ki beti – that’s the best identity I could have had, and I am grateful for it,” she says.

Now a mother herself to daughters Radhya and Miraya, Esha says that she hopes to pass on the same values she learned from her parents, including humility, kindness and respect for others.