Esha Deol reveals ‘orthodox’ dad Dharmendra didn't want her to enter films: It took a while to convince him...

Esha Deol, born to legendary actors, was keen to follow the footsteps of Dharmendra and Hema Malini. However, getting into films proved to be a tough task for her with Dharmendra opposing the idea. By the time Esha made her film debut in 2002, Dharmendra's two sons from his first marriage, Sunny and Bobby, were already well-established actors. And the actress recently admitted that it took some coaxing to convince Dharmendra.
Speaking about her father's 'orthodox' approach, Esha Deol told Hauterrfly, "He didn’t want that I should enter the movies.He is a bit orthodox, rightfully so… He is a Punjabi father, and he wanted that we should get married, settle down at 18. That is his conditioning, he is coming from a place where all the women in his house were brought up that way. But my upbringing was very different."
Esha also mentioned that she had been deeply influenced by her mother, Hema Malini's career in films. She had always aspired to make a name for herself, but it took some time to persuade her father, Dharmendra. Although it was a challenging process, she noted that the situation changed, "It was not easy, but today is a different story."
The 'Dhoom' actress went on to describe the strict discipline of her maternal grandmother and added that she was not allowed to wear spaghettis and short skirts and go out. Too many late nights were also not allowed, added Esha, however she did resort to lying like a rebellious kid, There was a phase where I would lie to go out on late nights. I have done all of that. It’s not like I haven’t done that and it used to be fun too."