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...’

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.

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“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.