Esha Deol
Born	Esha Dharmendra Deol (1981-11-02) 2 November 1981 (age 30) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Education	Mithibai College
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2002–present
Partner	Bharat Takhtani (fiance)

Esha Deol (born 2 November 1981) is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films. She made her acting debut in Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe that won her a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award (2002). She later appeared in several commercially successful films such as Dhoom (2004) Dus (2005) and No Entry (2005) - her biggest commercial success till date.

Personal life[link]

Esha was born in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, and given the full name of Esha Dharmendra Deol. The name 'Esha' comes from the Upanishads and is derived from the Sanskrit language meaning "the divine beloved". She is the elder daughter of Bollywood actors Dharmendra and Hema Malini. She has a younger sister named Ahana. She is the half-sister of actors Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol. She is the first cousin of actor Abhay Deol.

She is part Punjabi and part Tamil and speaks Tamil with her mother and sister. Esha Deol got engaged to boyfriend Bharat Takhtani,^[1] a businessman on 12 February 2012. It was a very private affair and was held at her mother Hema Malini's residence at Juhu.^[2] She has the Gayatri Mantra and a symbol of the yoga asana Scorpio in a sunburst tattooed on her back and a scorpion with a small red heart on her left breast. She is passionate about football and plays the midfielder position. She was captain of her school football team, represented her college in handball at the state level and was selected for the Indian national woman's football team.^[3]

Education[link]

Deol attended Mithibai College in Mumbai where she planned to be become a fashion designer. Deol trained in the Odissi dancing style under Mumbai guru Rabindra Atibuddhi. She was trained by and performs classical Bharatanatyam dance with her mother.

Career[link]

Deol's film career began with Koi Mere Dil Se Pooche for which she won three awards. She released several unsuccessful films in 2003. In 2004 she played a French teacher in Aayutha Ezhuthu. She went on to repeat the role in the Hindi remake Yuva.^[4] This led to a breakthrough on her career as in that same year, she appeared in the multistarrer Dhoom. She had success in Dus and No Entry

Deol's portrayal of a notorious and vengeful ghost in Ram Gopal Verma's Darling (2007) was reviewed positively. Taran Adarsh from indiaFM noted that, "Esha Deol is excellent in a role that’s nothing short of a challenge. It would’ve boomeranged had it been entrusted to any inferior actor, but Esha is in terrific form here. This should be the turning point in her career."^[5]

She is set to star in her mother's next directorial venture with Rekha and Abhishek Bachchan and also a film in which she is cast with her mother.

Deol's next film was called Tell Me O Kkhuda. She portrayed the lead role in the film opposite Rishi Kapoor.^[6] She will also appear in Shivam Nair's Ghost Ghost Na Raha with Rahul Bose and Ayaz Khan.^[7]

Esha with her fiance Bharat Takhtani at their engagement ceremony

Filmography[link]

Awards[link]

• 2002: Filmfare Best Debut Award for Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe
• 2002: Star Screen Award Most Promising Newcomer - Female for Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe
• 2003: Bollywood Movie Award - Best Female Debut for Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe

References[link]

1. ^ "'Bollywood celebrity Esha Deol and Bharat Takhtani got engaged'". InternetAdda. 12 February 2012. http://internetadda.com/bollywood/bollywood-celebrity-esha-deol-and-bharat-takhtani-got-engaged.html. Retrieved 15 February 2012. 
2. ^ {{cite web|title=Esha Deol got engaged; marriage date to be fixed soon!|url=http://www.glamsham.com/movies/scoops/12/feb/13-news-esha-deol-got-engaged-marriage-date-to-be-fixed-soon-021207.asp]
3. ^ "Esha attends college annual function". http://wn.com/Esha_Deol_at_a_College_Annual_Function. 
4. ^ "'I am today's woman -- very independent, very bindaas'". Rediff. 19 May 2004. http://inhome.rediff.com/movies/2004/may/19esha.htm. Retrieved 6 January 2010. 
5. ^ "Review of DARLING by Taran Adarsh". Naachgaana. 2007-09-06. http://www.naachgaana.com/2007/09/06/review-of-darling-by-taran-adarsh/. Retrieved 2011-02-14. 
6. ^ "Ashutosh Gowariker turned down by newcomer". One India. 11 December 2009. http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/news/2009/ashutosh-chandan-rejected-111209.html. Retrieved 6 January 2010. 
7. ^ Supreeta Singh (12 February 2010). "‘I was called Football Face’". Kolkata Mirror. http://www.kolkatamirror.com/index.aspx?page=article&sectid=9&contentid=2010021220100211172217919ef97a75d&sectxslt=. Retrieved 12 February 2010.