Esha Deol reveals dad Dharmendra becomes vegetarian when Hema Malini is around, "Mum can't handle smell, so he respects her choices"

Esha Deol reveals dad Dharmendra becomes vegetarian when Hema Malini is around, says, "Mum can't handle smell, so he respects her choices"

Esha Deol has always spoken openly about the values she picked up growing up in one of Bollywood’s most iconic families. With her mother, Hema Malini, being a South Indian and her father, Dharmendra, a Punjabi, she was raised in a household where cultures and food habits blended in unique ways. In a recent interview, Esha shed light on her upbringing, her daughters’ food preferences, and her parents’ adorable compromises.

Talking to ETimes, Esha revealed how her childhood meals continue to influence her food choices today. “I grew up eating South Indian food. My staple diet is idli, sambar, and dosa with chutney. I also enjoy eating curd rice,” she said. Passing down this tradition, she shared how her daughters have developed the same fondness for these simple yet nourishing dishes. “Now, even my daughters enjoy that. They ask our cook to make idlis, sambar, and chutney at least three times a week,” she added.

Esha also spoke about her father’s sweet gestures for her mother, who is strictly vegetarian. “My dad really respects my mum’s choices, so whenever he is with her, he is a vegetarian,” she explained. Dharmendra, known for his love of hearty Punjabi meals, adjusts his food habits around Hema. “When we travel somewhere, we see him eat some non-veg dish. And when he does that, he goes to another room to have it, as mum can’t handle the smell,” Esha said. She fondly recalled watching this dynamic during outdoor shoots: “I have seen them on outdoor shoots, and I have witnessed these cute moments.”

Post her separation from Bharat Takhtani, Esha has embraced co-parenting while prioritizing her daughters’ well-being. In an interview with The Quint, she stressed the importance of setting egos aside for the sake of children. “When kids are involved, it is important to let your ego aside and have the threshold. At the end of the day, we are parents to these beautiful kids. Let’s give them the best,” she said.

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She further elaborated on why unity matters in parenting, even after a marriage ends: “Two individuals have decided something, let the children not suffer and let our ego aside and let’s try and work it out with these new roles that we have taken on into each other’s lives. For your kids, you have to be a unit. That unit can’t break. Maybe the other unit has broken but for your kids, be that one unit.”

On the professional side, Esha Deol was last seen in the film Tumko Meri Kasam, and while her personal life has seen many changes, her reflections on family, food, and parenting show the balance she continues to maintain.