Hema Malini says daughters Esha, Ahana ran to change into salwar-kameez when they saw dad Dharmendra coming: ‘He wants us to sit at home’

In an old interview with Simi Garewal, Hema Malini shared how Dharmendra is as a father to their daughters. She said, “Whenever he comes to Bombay, he makes sure to visit his children and talks to them about their academics. In terms of outfits, he is very particular. He likes them to always be dressed in salwar kameez. The moment he is supposed to come home, my daughters change into salwar kameez.” Hema Malini clarified, “He doesn’t mind jeans and stuff, but he prefers salwar kameez. I tell them that if your father likes this, wear it for him.” Esha and Ahana were 17, and 14, respectively at the time of this interview.

Speaking more about her husband, Hema Malini said, “He is very traditional and conservative. He hasn’t seen any of my stage performances till date though they are extremely popular around the world. He feels I look very different on stage. He feels that I don’t belong to him whenever I am performing. Apparently, I look very different. So, he doesn’t want to see my shows.”

‘Didn’t want his daughters to join films’

Hema Malini’s daugher Esha too accompanied her mother in the interview. When asked if she plans to enter the film industry, Esha said, “I am interested, but it all depends on what my father has to say about it.”

To this, Hema added, “I did speak to him once about our daughters joining films, but he said, ‘Not at all’. Right from their birth, he was very particular about it. He said, It’s okay for them to learn dance and stuff, but they can’t enter films.'”

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Esha continued, “He is very possessive about us. He tells us, ‘Girls, you will have to sit at home only. We are also not allowed to go out much often, but mumma is there so we manage to go for sports and all. He even objects if we have to travel outstation for inter-state sports events. He is very concerned and protective. He doesn’t like us wearing sleeveless tops or short pants so whenever he comes home, we get dressed in trousers or salwar kameez.”

Hema shared, “They like to wear modern dresses. I do allow them to wear those outfits to some extent but at the same time, they also have to be in traditional outfits.”

‘Dad wanted me to marry at 18’

In an interview with Hautterfly, Esha Deol, who did try acting, shared, “He didn’t want me to enter films. He was rightfully orthodox because he was a Punjabi, so he wanted me to get married and settle down at 18 because that was his conditioning, he’s coming from there. The women in his family are brought up that way. But my upbringing was very different in my house, seeing my mom act in films and her dance gave me a direction. It was ingrained inside me that I wanted to do something.”