It has been four days since Indian cinema lost one of its most loved icons, Dharmendra. Tributes have poured in from across the country with colleagues remembering his warmth and generosity, and fans celebrating the charm and skill he brought to the screen for over six decades. But beyond his illustrious film career and immense popularity, Dharmendra’s personal life often drew attention, particularly his two marriages—first to Prakash Kaur at the age of 19, and later to Hema Malini when he was 45.
Despite the controversy surrounding his second marriage, Dharmendra never divorced Prakash Kaur. He continued to remain present for both his families and ensured their individual dynamics were not disturbed. His first family lived in their long-standing home, and no one from his second family ever visited that house—until the day Esha Deol made a special request.
In 2015, Dharmendra’s elder brother Ajit Deol, father of actor Abhay Deol, had become critically ill. Esha and Ahana shared a close bond with their uncle and cousin, and when his condition worsened, he was being treated at Dharmendra’s first home. Wanting to see him and pay her respects, Esha reached out to her half-brother Sunny Deol.
In Hema Malini’s biography Hema Malini: Beyond the Dream Girl, Esha Deol recounted the moment: “I wanted to meet my uncle and pay my respects. He loved me and Ahana very much, and we were also very close to Abhay. We had no other way than to go to his house. He was not even in the hospital that we could meet him there. So I called Sunny bhaiya, and they made full arrangements to meet him.”
That visit also marked the first time Esha met her stepmother Prakash Kaur—after nearly 30 years.
Esha shared in the book, “I touched her feet, and she blessed me before leaving.”
Though Dharmendra ensured love and dignity for both his worlds, the two families largely kept a respectful distance from each other. Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol did not attend the weddings of Esha Deol and Ahana Deol, and similarly, Hema Malini did not attend the wedding of Dharmendra’s grandson Karan Deol.
Following Dharmendra’s passing, the Deol family organised a prayer meet yesterday, which was attended by close friends and colleagues from the industry. Hema Malini and her daughters were not present; instead, they held a Geeta Paath and bhajans at Hema’s Mumbai residence. Several industry members, including Sunita Ahuja and Esha Deol’s former husband Bharat Takhtani, attended the ceremony.