Esha Deol was in class 4 when she learned that dad Dharmendra was already married and had four children, 'I don’t think there is anything wrong but...’

Esha Deol was in class 4 when she learned that dad Dharmendra was already married and had four children, 'I don’t think there is anything wrong but...’

Veteran actor Dharmendra, 89, is currently admitted to Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai due to age related issues. While his condition is stable, the situation has led many fans to reflect on his life, relationships, and the family bonds that shaped him. Among these memories is a story shared by his daughter Esha Deol, one that reveals how she came to understand her father’s life before Hema Malini entered it.

Esha Deol once spoke about the moment she first learned that her father Dharmendra had a family before he married her mother, Hema Malini. It was a lesson that arrived not at home, but at school. And the story has remained a part of the family’s complex history of love, culture, and acceptance.

Hema Malini and Dharmendra married in 1980. By then, Dharmendra was already married to Prakash Kaur and had four children, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Vijeta, and Ajeita.

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After his marriage to Hema, the couple welcomed two daughters, Esha and Ahana. While the industry was aware of the situation, Esha herself did not know about her father's other family until she was in Class 4.

This moment was documented in Hema Malini’s biography Hema Malini: Beyond The Dream Girl, written by Ram Kamal Mukherjee. Esha shared that while she was in school, a classmate casually asked her, “You have two moms, right?”

Esha recalled reacting instantly, saying, “What rubbish! I have only one mother.” But the question stayed with her. She returned home unsettled and narrated the incident to her mother. That’s when Hema gently decided it was time to tell her daughter the truth.

Also Read: Dharmendra Health Update: Veteran actor's team says 'sir is recovering well, responding to treatment'

“Nowadays kids are much smarter. Imagine, we were in the fourth standard and had no idea about anything,” Esha later said, expressing how children today grow up with different awareness levels than earlier generations.

Esha described that moment of revelation without any emotional upheaval. “That was when I understood that my mother had married someone who was already married to another lady and that they also had a family. But frankly speaking, I never felt bad about it. Till today, I don’t think there is anything wrong with it. And I give full credit to my parents for not making us ever feel uncomfortable,” she shared.

According to Esha, her parents handled the situation quietly and gracefully. Hema raised her daughters largely on her own, while Dharmendra was present whenever needed, even though he did not live with them permanently.

This arrangement seemed normal to her as a child, because it was the only reality she knew. “When I was younger, I used to go to my friends’ houses where I would see both parents being around. That’s when I realized that it’s normal to have dads around too. But somehow, we were groomed in a way that it didn’t affect me much. I was very content with my mother and I loved my father,” she said.

Looking back, Esha believes the reason she never carried emotional baggage from the situation is because her parents ensured there was no bitterness, blame, or confusion. Their home was defined by routine, love, and stability, rather than controversy.