Esha Deol is giving fans a peek into her family life beyond Bollywood glamour, sharing a heartwarming love for South Indian cuisine. Born to father Dharmendra, a Punjabi, and mother Hema Malini, a South Indian,
Esha has grown up with a mix of cultures — but it’s her mom’s food that has left the strongest mark. She says idli, sambhar, dosa, and chutney are staples at home, and curd rice is another favourite.
The tradition continues with her daughters, Radhya and Miraya, who now enjoy these meals as much as their mother does. “They ask me to make idli sambhar and chutney at least three times a week,” Esha revealed in a recent interview with The Times of India.
Esha also shared an fun story about her father Dharmendra. A known meat-lover, he shows respect for Hema Malini’s vegetarian lifestyle and sticks to it when he’s around her. “My dad really respects my mom’s choices, so whenever he is with her, he is a vegetarian,” she said. On trips or outdoor shoots, he eats meat in another room to avoid the smell upsetting Hema Malini. She added, “And when he does that, he goes to another room to have it as mom can’t handle the smell.”
The conversation also highlighted Hema Malini’s shift in dietary habits. Today, she prefers gluten-free meals and follows a more conscious diet, reflecting increased awareness about health and nutrition in later years.
Esha recently starred in web series Rudra: The Edge Of Darkness with Ajay Devgn and Hunter: Tootega Nahi, Todega with Suniel Shetty. Her big-screen comeback, Tumko Meri Kasam, directed by Vikram Bhatt, is highly anticipated. The film tells the story of Dr. Ajay Murdia, founder of Indira IVF, and also stars Ishwak Singh.
On the personal front, Esha Deol got divorced from husband Bharat Takhtani last year. Bharat was married to Esha for 11 years. The couple tied the knot in 2012 but parted ways in 2024. In a joint statement, they confirmed their split was both “mutual and amicable”, adding that the well-being of their two young daughters, Radhya and Miraya, would remain their highest priority. “We have mutually and amicably decided to part ways. Through this shift in our lives, the best interests and welfare of our two children is and will be of utmost importance to us. We’d appreciate our privacy is respected,” the statement read.
Hema Malini and Dharmendra’s love story was straight out of a Bollywood film. The ‘Dream Girl’ and the Bollywood’s He-man fell for each other on Tum Haseen Main Jawan. But Dharmendra was already married to Prakash Kaur. To be together, they converted to Islam — Dharmendra became Dilawar Khan, Hema Aisha Bi — and had a private Nikah in 1980, later celebrating an Iyengar-style wedding to honour Hema’s roots.
