The loss never really leaves, you just learn to carry it: Esha Deol

For Esha Deol, the past few months have been a mix of pride and grief. Recently, the actress shared an emotional note after her mother, Hema Malini, accepted the Padma Vibhushan on behalf of her father, Dharmendra, who passed away last November. The moment, she says, brought back memories and a deep sense of longing. “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 says.‘Seeing my mother accept the award on my father’s behalf was very emotional’Reflecting on Dharmendra receiving the award, Esha says, “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.”Recalling the ceremony, she says, “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.”‘I miss him every single day’Asked about her fondest memory of her father, Esha says choosing one is impossible. “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. Remembering the nickname she had for him, Esha says, “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.”Growing up as Hema Malini and Dharmendra’s daughterEsha says being born to two of Indian cinema’s biggest stars has always felt like a blessing rather than it being a pressure on her career. “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.As a mother to daughters Radhya and Miraya, Esha hopes to pass on the values that she imbibed from her parents. “My kids see the love and respect I have for my parents, and that’s how they learn – to be humble, show respect and be kind,” she says.‘Today there are better roles for actors across age groups’For Esha, who will next be seen in the horror-comedy Ghunghat, motherhood has reshaped her priorities, making her more selective about the projects she chooses. She believes, “As a mother, it’s natural that your priorities change. I want to be present for our children and be actively involved in raising them.”She acknowledges that the roles coming her way today are different from those she was offered earlier in her career. “I wouldn’t want to play a teenager in love today, I’m already done with that phase of my career. If I connect with a character and the project excites me, I’m happy to say yes. Today, there are far more interesting and meaningful roles available for actors across age groups, which is wonderful to see,” she shares.Box:‘Bharat and I are a team when it comes to co-parenting’Speaking about life after her separation from Bharat Takhtani, Esha says parenting remains a joint effort. “I would say that while I am single, I don’t see myself as a single mom. By the grace of God, Bharat and I are very much a team when it comes to co-parenting our daughters. We are a family, and our children will always come first. To give them love and affection and be the strong pillars of support for them, that’s something we are deeply committed to,”she explains.