Esha Deol
Esha Deol Takhtani[1] (born 2 November 1981) is an Indian actress and model who predominantly appears in Hindi films. The daughter of actor-politicians Dharmendra and Hema Malini, Deol made her debut in Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe (2002), which earned her awards and nominations including the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.[2]
Esha Deol was born in Bombay (present Mumbai) on 2 November 1981.[3][4] She is the elder daughter of Bollywood actors Dharmendra (Dharam Singh Deol) and Hema Malini. She has a younger sister named Ahana.[5] She is the half sister of actors Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol and first cousin of actor Abhay Deol.[citation needed] Her father is Punjabi Jat,[6] and her mother Tamil Hindu Iyengar Brahmin.[7][8] She speaks Tamil with her mother and sister.[9][10]
During her school days, she was passionate about football and played as a midfielder. She was the captain of her school football team, represented her college in handball at the state level and was also selected for the Indian national women’s football team.[citation needed]
She started her acting career in a lead role with Vinay Shukla’s Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe (2002) opposite Aftab Shivdasani, with Sanjay Kapoor, Jaya Bachchan and Anupam Kher playing supporting roles. This movie was a box office failure. Deol received mixed reactions from critics upon her performance. Savera R Someshwar of Rediff wrote “Esha, as a person, exudes a confidence that almost borders on arrogance.”[11] Rakesh Budhu of Planet Bollywood wrote “She isn’t horrible, but given the hype, the demands and of course, comparisons, she surely isn’t up to the mark. … Of course, she is nowhere close to being a washout and if you are her fan you can appreciate the other aspects of her performances without completely losing faith in her future projects.”[12] Despite mixed reactions and box office failure, Deol won numerous awards for her performance including the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut at the 48th Filmfare Awards.[2][13]
Deol’s second film was Arjun Sablok’s love triangle Na Tum Jaano Na Hum opposite Saif Ali Khan and Hrithik Roshan. Taran Adarsh of IndiaFm praised her acting and wrote “it is Esha Deol who surprises you with a mature performance. Although her looks are inconsistent, the youngster takes on the role with utmost sincerity and comes out with a natural performance. She has been better presented when compared to her debut film.”[14] Bhavna Giani of Rediff praised Deol’s acting and dancing and compared it to Deol’s mother Hema Malini.[15] Deol’s third and final release of the year was Sanjay Chhel’s Kyaa Dil Ne Kahaa opposite Tusshar Kapoor. It was Deol’s third consecutive flop but she earned critical acclaim and Taran Adarsh observed that it was her better performance as compared to her previous two films.[16]
