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The winds of change are blowing through Dharmendra Deol’s Juhu bungalow. Many years ago, when son Sunny was making his debut as an actor and it was generally accepted that Bobby too would follow suit, Dharmendra was asked how he’d react if his daughters (from wife Prakash) also wanted to join the film industry. Shocked, Dharam had disarmingly entreated, “Darling, please, don’t even write that you asked me such a question.” The very thought had been so unacceptable and unimaginable to the conventional Jat.
His second family, headed by the charming but strong-willed Hema Malini and her mother, the late Jaya Chakravarthy (a formidable star amma in her time), subtly changed all the existing Deol family rules. As little girls, Esha and Ahana would dress up like normal, trendy kids at home. But the moment they’d hear Dharam’s car turning in, they’d rush upstairs and come down in demure salwar-kameezes to greet their dad!
“Yes, he liked us in salwar-kameez, so we’d wear it when he came home,” Esha giggled at the recollection. Dad’s diktat was strictly no dancing, no acting for the Deol sisters. They turned out to be rules that Hema happily broke as she brought up her daughters like any understanding modern mother. Raised in their mother’s bungalow, Esha and Ahana are vegetarians like her and speak fluent Tamil. Along with their baby steps they learnt classical dance and were so comfortable performing before an audience that instead of having stage fright they’d be up to mischief like pinching each other, giggling and so on. “Whenever I’m dancing with my girls, I have to keep an eye on them to see what they’re up to,” Hema would fondly say. Without a doubt, playing mom to her girls has been Hema Malini’s favourite role so far.
Dharam looked on with quiet but reluctant acceptance while Hema and her girls, without rebelling aggressively, travelled abroad, danced together and pretty much lived their lives on their own terms. But when Esha was keen to turn actress, she played her cards deftly. Athletic and energetic in her school days, Esha was an ace footballer, chosen to go to Punjab for a national football match. She asked her dad for permission. Dharam was aghast at the idea of his daughter going into traditional Deol territory somewhere in Punjab to play football and put his foot down. “If I can’t go there to play football, then let me at least act in a film here,” Esha smartly and sweetly told him. He couldn’t refuse her again and that’s how Esha turned actress.
From there to acting with Esha in Tell Me Khuda, which has been directed by Hema herself, was a giant leap for Dharam. Today, he has changed so much that when Ahana was ready to debut as actress, he actually sat with Hema and their daughters and went over the entire script. “I told Ahana that she has no idea how fortunate she was. He never did any such thing for me,” an astonished but pleased Esha disclosed.
As the first-born, Esha had to cross the same hurdles from a conservative dad that Karisma faced when only Babita backed her desire to act and Randhir Kapoor had markedly kept his distance from his daughter’s career. Once Karisma made it big and Randhir turned into a proud papa, it was a cakewalk for her sister Kareena. It has been a somewhat similar trajectory for Esha and Ahana. Phew, strong-willed moms and daughters have finally won the day against stubbornly old-fashioned Deols and Kapoors.
The Kapoors were of course out in full strength at the beautifully solemn chautha arranged for Shammi Kapoor at Blue Sea, the same venue where the yahoo star had celebrated his 75th birthday four years ago. The entire clan, sitting on neat white chairs, faced hundreds of people from the film fraternity and elsewhere, as Art of Living bhajans were soulfully sung for two hours. Well organised at a lovely, sea-facing venue large enough to hold the unending stream of visitors, the cops outside too had instructions to be polite and efficient. Inside, a huge black and white, handsome close-up of Shammi Kapoor looked at the gathering with clear, mesmerising eyes, the frame decorated with fresh white orchids and little bits of green. It was at this venue that Shammi had turned up to party for the last time in his life when his daughter Kanchan turned 50. Early next morning he went into the ICU. It was a fitting venue to have such a beautifully organised farewell. Shammi would have undoubtedly approved.
