Veteran actor Dharmendra has always been admired not only for his on-screen charm but also for his eventful personal life. Before marrying Hema Malini, Dharmendra was married to Prakash Kaur, with whom he shares four children — Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Vijeeta Deol, and Ajeeta Deol. Later, without divorcing Prakash, Dharmendra tied the knot with Hema Malini and became a father to Esha Deol and Ahana Deol.Despite the two marriages, both families have maintained a cordial relationship over the years, though Dharmendra’s two wives lived separately. Interestingly, it took Esha nearly 30 years to meet her father’s first wife, Prakash Kaur, for the first time.
Esha Deol opens up about the emotional meeting
In Hema Malini’s biography, Hema Malini: Beyond the Dream Girl, Esha Deol opened up about how she became the first member of Hema’s family to enter Dharmendra’s house. She shared that she was extremely close to Dharmendra’s brother, Ajeet Deol (actor Abhay Deol’s father). When Ajeet fell ill in 2015, Esha wanted to visit him and check on his health.However, since Ajeet was being treated at Dharmendra’s family home, Esha sought help from her half-brother, Sunny Deol, to facilitate the visit. Recalling the moment, Esha shared, “I wanted to meet my uncle and pay my respects. He loved me and Ahana very much and we were also very close to Abhay. We had no other way than to go to his house. He was not even in the hospital that we would meet him there. So I called Sunny Bhaiya and they made full arrangements to meet him.,
Esha’s first meeting with Prakash Kaur
During that visit, Esha unexpectedly came face-to-face with her stepmother, Prakash Kaur. Describing the brief yet emotional interaction, Esha revealed, “I touched her feet, and she left me after blessing me.”The encounter was short, but it marked a moment of warmth and mutual respect between the two families who had long lived apart.
Hema Malini on maintaining peace and dignity
In her own biography, Hema Malini: The Dream Girl, the actress opened up about her decision to never meet Dharmendra’s first wife after their marriage. She shared that she chose to maintain distance out of respect for Prakash and to avoid disturbing her.“I didn’t want to disturb anyone. I am happy with whatever Dharamji did for me and my daughters. He played the role of a father, like any father would do. I guess I am happy with that,” Hema wrote.
