Exclusive: Esha Deol Says Hema Malini, Dharmendra Worried About 'Scrutiny' On Her Career: 'They’ve Felt...'

At the 69th National Film Awards, Esha Deol’s debut production venture Ek Duaa received a special mention in the non-feature film category. As she basks in the all the love that’s coming her way, she exclusively tells News18 that the feeling that her work has been honoured at the National Awards hasn’t still sunk in.

“It’s still sinking in. I’m getting so much appreciation and so many congratulatory messages and calls. All of that is reassuring me that it has happened. It’s a very big thing for me not only because it’s my first production where I acted but also because it’s a story about female foeticide. To get recognised, acknowledged and applauded for that on a national level feels incredible.”

Esha goes on to reveal how her daughters – five-year-old Radhya and four-year-old Miraya – reacted to her win. “They know mumma has won an award. They’re still young and so, for them, awards are a big thing. They came to me and gave me a tight hug together. That was a lovely feeling,” she beams.

Soon after the news was announced, Esha’s mother, veteran actor and politician Hema Malini, took to Instagram and shared a heartfelt note congratulating her ‘baby’. Quiz her about her and Dharmendra’s reactions and she shares, “We always want our parents’ blessings no matter what we do in our life. We want their approval. Even as a mother, I encourage, support and bless my kids. It’s very important. So, when I took up a sensitive subject like Ek Duaa, they both told me to go ahead and do it.”

A post shared by Dream Girl Hema Malini (@dreamgirlhemamalini)

She further acknowledges the pressure of being born to two of the biggest icons of Hindi cinema and feels that her win amid all the scrutiny she has been through makes them prouder than ever. “My parents are legends. Somewhere, they’ve always felt that since they’re so big, their seed who joins the same profession will always be looked at with scrutiny. So, they were very happy,” says Esha.

So, was being honoured at the National Awards always in her bucket list? “For me, it’s a journey. I started acting at the age of 18 where I did a lot of teenybopper roles and cute-romantic roles. I also did some different kinds of films. And to get a national recognition now at this stage in my journey is a beautiful feeling,” she states.

The actor, who will next be seen in a project titled Main, tells us that the recognition is making her retrospect the life and career she has had. “A lot of people are calling this phase of my career my ‘second innings’ and mostly so because many of us, actresses, settle down and have babies and then take a little breather. But I look at it from a broader lens. I look at myself as that 18-year-old girl who is now getting appreciation for a film based on a subject like female foeticide,” she says.

Ek Duaa did the rounds of many film festivals across the globe but to be recognised at home makes her believe that she has ‘done something right’. Thanking the team of the film, she adds, “Our film received a lot of appreciation internationally too across many film festivals. But a National Award recognition is a big thing. I’m very thankful and grateful to my entire team and my director, Ram Kamal Mukherjee. He was the one who got the script and came to me with the offer to act in it. But I told him that I would want to produce a story like Ek Duaa.”