For the last decade, Esha Deol has focused on family life and motherhood, but now Hema Malini and Dharmendra’s daughter, feels it’s time for her comeback. In an earlier interview with us, she had expressed her interest in acting again, but now she says that she is also keen to produce films with her husband Bharat Takhtani. In a conversation with BT, she opens up about why sustaining in the industry was difficult for her and how she is excited about facing the camera again with some of her former colleagues. Excerpts:

One can’t make creative people sit at home for too long. Acting is that one thing that keeps me going. I left the field in 2011 because starting a family at that age was my priority. I enjoyed that phase of my life. When I was working, I had no time to date. It was only when I got married to Bharat that I experienced love. Otherwise, I was just a tomboy. My co-stars used to make fun of my hands. They would say, tere haath ki padegi toh malum padega sabko (laughs!). That was the kind of rapport I shared with my male co-stars. It was Bharat who changed me. We dated for a year before we got married. It was during that phase that I started investing time in getting dressed, wearing beautiful clothes, stilettos and going out for romantic dinners. It was Bharat who guided me through it. He knew me from my school and college days, so there was a good understanding between us.

The last 10 years have been magical, and it took away my attention from a lot of things (smiles). Thankfully, I am in good shape today and work is coming my way. I felt this was the right time to get back in front of the camera, as a set feels like home to me, and I love it there.

When I started out, I was very young. The one thing I have learnt is that you need to be thick-skinned to sustain in showbiz. If you are from the industry, right from your first film, you are compared to your parents, who have such a large repertoire of work behind them, and that gets to you. It is not as easy as it’s been made out to be. Everyone goes through their struggles. In my way, I have dealt with it. What is important is that everyone works hard to achieve their goals. Life’s no fun without any hard work.

All my friends — Ajay (Devgn), Abhishek (Bachchan), Tusshar (Kapoor) — are very happy. They have been very encouraging. I am happy to be making a comeback as an actor with Ajay (for an OTT show). We have done around seven films together and have always shared a great rapport. Even back then, he guided me through many situations. I am grateful that filmmakers are reaching out to me with interesting scripts. OTT platforms have helped us move away from stereotypes. Overall, for an actor, it is a great time to do good work. Everyone performs so well today... even the newcomers look so seasoned and well-prepared. There is so much time spent on prep before a film goes on the floor. This wasn’t the case earlier. Today, there is an entourage that’s putting their time and energy to ensure that you are up to the mark. It is definitely not a one-man show anymore. As for me, I have worked hard before taking this step. I have shed my post-pregnancy weight. I am excited to work with the new set of filmmakers.

Bharat is my constant support in whatever I do. It is nice to have your life partner as your colleague. He understands the creative part of a project, the technicalities and choosing the right scripts. He watches a lot of films and shows, so he has a good understanding of content as an audience, which helps him pick the right scripts, while I see projects from an actor’s point of view.

They enjoy watching my song Dilbara from the film Dhoom. They make me play it and dance to it. They also like the song Arey Zindagi Hai Khel from Seeta Aur Geeta, which starred my parents. They get excited when they see their nani walking the rope and their nanu doing a summersault in the song.

Back in 2002, all eyes were on Hema Malini and Dharmendra’s daughter, Esha Deol, as she made a grand entry in Bollywood with Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe. In 2011, she appeared in the film, Tell Me O Kkhuda, which was directed by her mother and also featured her father. After that, she wasn’t seen in the Bollywood movie space and chose to focus on her personal life. She tied the knot with Bharat Takhtani in 2012, and now, is the mother of two kids, Radhya and Miraya. After nearly a decade, Esha, who has been a part of films like Dhoom, Dus, Yuva and No Entry, is all set to make a comeback in Hindi films. In an exclusive interview with Bombay Times, Esha says, “There are some good offers coming my way, and I feel motivated to be in front of what I love the most — the camera.”

Esha says, “I think, as an actor and being a part of this wonderful film fraternity, whenever you get back to work is the right time to do so. Earlier, I wanted to start a family and have babies, and I think it is important for women to do these things at the right time.”

Though she can’t reveal much about her new project that is likely to begin in July, Esha tell us, “This subject is very close to my heart, and a lot of women will identify with it. It’s a beautiful story that needs to be told. I thought that this is the right time to do this film and being a mom, I felt that there’s a beautiful message I could convey through this movie.”

When asked if interesting roles are being written for actresses, including those who want to make a comeback in the industry after marriage and kids, she says, “I have an excellent example in my mother, who continued working even after marriage and babies, and this was back in the 80s. Today, with good content and huge opportunities on OTT platforms, I think married women have some great characters to play, which will bring them immense work satisfaction. You name a married actress, and she is doing some great work, so I think we have come a long way, and in our industry, people are very welcoming towards married actresses.”

While she is gearing up to return to the set once again, the actress is extremely confident about finding a balance between work and home. She says, “Working women and mothers need to find a balance. Also, I feel with strong support from your family, it is easier to manage work and home at the same time. Women are brilliant multitaskers, and I am confident that I can strike a balance.”

With yesteryear superstar Hema Malini as her mother, Esha sure did not have to look far for inspiration. She shares, “My mother has definitely managed everything very beautifully in her life. I would also give credit to my grandmother, Jaya Chakravarty, for being such strong support. When we were kids, my mom would be shooting most of the time, and it was my grandmother, grandaunt, aunts and cousins who would look after us. When my mom would return home, she would take over all the duties and do all that a mother does for her kids. I think she is a great example of a working mother. It’s a similar case at my home with my daughters — I have a full house and a strong support system in the Takhtani family as well as my family.”

As told to Ankita Chaurasia (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 17, 2020)

With kids around, self-distancing is easier and entertaining. It’s a big house and with limited household help keeping it clean is not easy. We are all multitasking. I’m bathing the pets, watering plants and cooking, which I enjoy. Bharat (Takhtani, businessman-husband) chips in with his bit. We have set a routine for the day and ticking off all the tasks keeps us occupied.

In the mornings, we take the kids (daughters Radhya and Miraya) to spend time in the jacuzzi, followed by a painting/sculpting session, then, lunch and a nap. Evenings we take a stroll in the garden, then the girls play with their dolls, kitchen sets or the piano till it’s dinner time. At night, I read them stories, and chat with Radhya who loves to talk before sleeping.

The kids are very happy to have their father around because otherwise they only see him early in the morning and then, at night. Radhya keeps demanding to meet her friends. Luckily, some of them live right down the street, so we take her to the terrace and she waves out to them. She also wants to meet her uncles and grandparents, who are in Bandra. But that isn’t possible as we haven’t stepped out of the house since the Coronavirus lockdown.

I like to stock up, so, I’m not facing a shortage of supplies, like diapers and soaps etc for 10-month-old Miraya. She has home-cooked food, so that is not a worry either. I am enjoying this return to the simpler times. It reminds me of my childhood when we could just enjoy each other’s company without the pressure of doing something together. I am a dreamer and now, with no rushing around, I can let my mind wander. When the lockdown ends, it’s important to not rush out of our homes to celebrate. We will just take a joyride in our car, around the vicinity, to see how things are before venturing out for fun.

Esha Deol puts together a parenting book that draws from her experiences, but also what she learnt about independence from her mother
Aastha Atray Banan (MID-DAY; March 29, 2020)

“What did you think of it?” Esha Deol asks this writer when we get on a phone call with her to discuss her book, Amma Mia (Penguin India).

We think her take on parenting is fresh, we say.

Instead of restricting her debut title to her role as mother, Deol goes back all the way to her own childhood, as daughter to Hindi cinema’s ’70s superstars Hema Malini and Dharmendra. It journeys gradually through her life, her romances and upbringing. It packs in recipes and tips for new moms, who Deol believes, could be “as clueless as I am”. Deol, 38, was raised in a home dominated by women, where she spent much of her time with her actor-politician mother, and sister Ahana. Her husband, Bharat Takhtani’s home was radically different. It’s these mixed experiences, she says, that have shaped her into the mother she is to daughters Miraya and Radhya.

Malini, an Iyengar Brahmin, served vegetarian fare at home. Deol laughs about making a run for friend Sonam Kapoor’s home to have a bite of anda curry. Takhtani lived in a joint family. Deol says he had a band of brothers, sisters and cousins milling at home, and never felt the need to go outside and make friends. “It was also a traditional household, where my mother-in-law was in command; the perfect homemaker. Before I got here, I didn’t know what a housewife was. She would cook and host guests beautifully. I am glad I experienced that before I had my children. I am now able to handle a household.”

Deol says she practiced a tradition called garbh sanskar, which believes that a would-be mother should be kept happy and in a pleasant space. “It’s during this phase that a sort of blue print of a new being, the child, is created,” she says. While the parents do all they can to safeguard and shape their children, inadvertently, it’s the children who mould them into the people they become. “My mother was a warrior princess; she could do everything a man could. I have imbibed that [fearlessness] from her. I am of strong character because of what I saw her do. And I also see that in my girls. They will decide what they wish to be. I will merely support them,” she shares.

Malini’s independence is evident in her daughter’s chatter when she says that she knew she had to include a chapter on working mothers. “We have all worked [hard] to build our lives; we can’t stop it [for motherhood], can we?”

Her acting stint in Bollywood may not have brought her the sort of success she had imagined, but she is clear she cannot severe the bond she shares with the movie-making world. “I have been working since I was 18. With web entertainment gaining influence in India, we have so much more to look forward to. A whole new world has opened up,” she says, hinting that a foray into film production might be on the cards.

Deol says she was caring for her second child while she put together the Amma Mia draft, allowing her to reflect on the challenges she grappled with as she went along. “I was facing issues and solving them [as I wrote the book]. And was able to share them. It has came from the heart.”

Does motherhood change you? “Yes, everything changes!” she laughs. “I am more domesticated and better organised, but the defining change has been confidence. That, and a keener sense of common sense. Both, priceless gifts.”

How to be a stellar mom

- Never hurry your child to eat, or force and blackmail them into eating. Let them take their time, and do it when they want.

- Introduce variety. This is a curious time for them, so let them try different flavours and cuisines.

- Try and include exercise into your routine as you can post pregnancy. Being sedentary will make you pile on more weight.

- If your toddler is fussy, start by paying attention, since they can't communicate through language just yet.

Baby No. 2 for Esha Deol and businessman-husband Bharat Takhtani
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 22, 2019)

Esha Deol and businessman-husband Bharat Takhtani who became parents to daughter Radhya in October 20, 2017, are now expecting a second child. “Both of us definitely wanted another baby as we grew up with siblings and wanted the same fun company for Radhya. The timing happened by the grace of God,” the actress told Mirror.

When quizzed about how the two families, including her mother Hema Malini and papa Dharmendra have reacted to the news, the mom-to-be laughed, “All the four grandparents are excited, for them the more the merrier.”

Last time around the couple had gone to Greece for a babymoon which included a special photo-session to chronicle this momentous occasion in their lives with some picture-perfect moments to look back on with a smile. Are they planning a similar vacation this time around? “I don’t think I can call it a babymoon the second time around as I can’t go anywhere without my baby. I will take Radhya with me everywhere I go so let’s just call it a family vacation for Bharat, Radhya and me whenever we plan to travel,” Esha pointed out.

The actress recently returned to work, acting in a short film, and taking over from mom Hema as Sita in the dance ballet Ramayan. Will she continue to work on stage and in film after learning that she’s pregnant? “The ballet is still going on as planned. And I will resume my professional commitments after my second child is born, the way I did after Radhya entered our lives. It’s all about balancing work and personal life as I have certain responsibilities as wife and mother while also being passionate about my work,” she reasoned, admitting that she’s being extremely selective about what she takes up at this point in her life. “For now, I’m loving every bit of being a mother hen, inside out.” 

Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 7, 2018)

Casually dressed in jeans, hair bunched up in a ponytail and face free of make-up, Esha Deol Takhtani is glowing, showing no signs of stress despite the presence of a six-month-old baby in the house. “Radhya is a happy baby unless forced to do something she doesn’t want to do. She’s very much my daughter and there are times when she gives me that Deol look with one eyebrow raised and I feel that I’m looking at myself in the mirror,” laughs the new mum, admitting that it was only in the first week after her daughter’s birth that she was in a bit of a mess with the baby crying and hordes of visitors stopping by. Now, with a nurse to help her and a strong support system in her mother (Hema Malini), in-laws, sister (Ahana) and cousins, she cherishes her time with Radhya.

Esha and husband Bharat Takhtani took their time after they tied the knot on June 29, 2012, to expand their family. Though madly in love, she admits like any couple they had their teething problems too but sorted them out, travelled the world, had fun before taking their relationship to the next level. Radhya, born five years after their wedding, is a culmination of their love.

“For three months, I kept my pregnancy a secret. When I finally told my mother she said she’d known all along, she was a mother too,” Esha reminisces, adding emotionally that dad Dharmendra was like a teary teddy bear as he rushed into her hospital room to meet Radhya, born last year on October 20. “For a long time she was supposed to arrive on my birthday, November 2, but eventually came a day after Diwali much to Bharat’s relief as he didn’t want another Scorpio in his life. Now, there are three Librans — my mother, husband and daughter — to balance me out,” she smiles.

2017 will forever be one of the best years of Esha’s life. Bharat, who like her, has enrolled in the Oneness University, which believes it’s important for the child’s well-being to keep an expectant mother happy through nine months, was attentive to her every whim and patient with her mood swings. “He even matched my growing appetite and put on a few kilos. But now we’re both back in shape,” shares Esha who since January has been working out religiously, training with weights to tone up and alternating it with callistics while on a vegan diet.

She admits that it’s not easy shedding weight after a baby but points out that she’s always been an athlete and a dancer and was careful not to go overboard during her pregnancy. “My mother says your post-natal body is at its most flexible and can be shaped at will. I have to work out as I can’t go on stage or face the camera with a big belly, I need a small waist for that,” smiles Esha who has returned to acting with a short film and is playing Sita in the dance ballet Ramayan, a legacy passed down to her by her mother, hoping one day Radhya too will take Indian mythology and culture forward. “At the moment she sits on the sofa and watches me during rehearsals, the way I’d watch my mother as a child. That’s how I know every ballet by heart but it’s still a huge responsibility playing Sita, the ideal wife and mother. I was unnerved when I saw my in-laws in the audience at the first performance at Iskcon as they weren’t expected. But it went well and now the role comes with a ‘feel good’ factor. Thanks to my mother-in-law (Pooja Takhtani), I’ve learnt to be a good wife, mother and homemaker. I know what’s happening in the kitchen and where Bharat’s particular shirt is,” she says proudly.

That doesn’t mean she’s bid goodbye to her acting career. She’s open to good roles but the adrenaline rush of the early years, when she was working from 6 am to 11 pm, is gone. Now, there’s a man and baby to come home to. Getting back to her baby, who came up with the name Radhya? “I did, just days before her birth. After going through several name books and not finding anything appropriate, one night, just before Diwali, I suggested Radhana, tweaking it to Radhya, which sounded perfect to both Bharat and me,” Esha beams, adding that she’d recommend having kids to every couple once they are ready.

Kids? Is she thinking of another child? “Both Bharat and I have siblings so I definitely want Radhya to have one too. But not too soon, when the time is right,” she signs off.

Couple made happy memories with a maternity shoot ahead of the arrival of their first born
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 17, 2017)

Esha Deol, at the moment, wants to make movies and babies, promote music and dance, go to the Oscars with her Hindi-Kannada bilingual and may be do TV if something interesting comes up
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 1, 2015)


The sexy Dhoom girl is a married woman now and won't do special appearance numbers or run on the beach in a bikini. But Esha Deol, who tied the knot with Bharat Takhtani three years ago, recently featured in a Hindi-Kannada bilingual, Kill Them Young—Care of Footpath 2 on juvenile delinquency.

The action-packed drama revolves around four teenage slum dwellers accused of a crime, with Esha as their spirited advocate. It's a sequel to a 2006 Kannada film, Care of Footpath, helmed a decade ago by Kishan Srikanth, when he was just nine years old. He entered the Guinness Book of Records as the youngest director.

The sequel has made a 'lateral entry' to the Oscars and is eligible to compete in, not just the technical categories but also the mainstream awards, like best film, best director and best actor, having met all the stringent technical specifications during the shoot. Also starring the original Balika Vadhu, Avika Gor, it is currently awaiting a mainstream October release in the US so that it can be reviewed and rated.

"I hope it gets nominated in some good categories," says an excited Esha, who is gearing up for her first home production, expected to roll in mid-2016. "Production is a tough job and I don't want to make the mistakes we made earlier. There are a couple of scripts and I'm sitting on them. I want to enjoy the process of making a movie."

Sensibly, she has decided to start out with a medium-budget film since a biggie would require stars and they are all tied up for several years ahead. No tears or horror for the 33-year-old producer. "I want to make something that I'd enjoy watching for two hours, something that's humorous and fun," she smiles.

The company will also be associated with her mother, Hema Malini's Natya Vihar Kalakendra and help make dance more childfriendly. "I learnt Bharatanatyam and Odissi and I remember how my sister and me were always making excuses to bunk classes. We want to make dancing fun and promote young talent, whether in music or dance," she asserts, adding that this could include launching a single for an upcoming singer," she smiles.

Will this mean that acting will take a backseat? Esha insists that if she's comfortable and happy with the offer, she'll take it up. "I grew up in a women-centric household of working women. Everyone from my grandmother and mother to my aunt worked. I would like to, as well. But there's no compulsion. I'm happy being with my husband, enjoying family time, and then there's the production too," she reasons, having just returned from a visit to sister Ahana and her cute nephew, Darien. "His name means the same as hers, first ray of light in the morning. It's a Greek word which my sister dug out," she marvels.

And when is she going to have a baby of her own? "I'll have one, araam se. Bharat and I had decided not to have a child for three years so we could work, travel, enjoy each other's company. We'll have a baby when we're a little more grown-up," she laughs, admitting that dad Dharmendra wanted Ahana and her to settle down by 18. "He's completely at peace now. Bharat and he get along famously."

And how involved is she with her MP mother's political career? Esha admits that she enjoys politics, reads the papers and is happy that the BJP is in power at the centre. Will she jump into politics too? "Maybe in a few years, right now I want to have babies, make movies, promote music and dance, may be do TV if something like Roadies comes along. Politics can come later," she signs off.