Esha Deol Takhtani (born 2 November 1981) is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Hindi films. The daughter of actors Dharmendra and Hema Malini, Deol made her acting debut in Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe (2002), which won her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. Following a series of poorly received films, she played one of the leading ladies in the commercially successful films Dhoom (2004), Kaal, Dus, and No Entry (all 2005). This was followed by a setback and a hiatus. She returned to acting with the web series Rudra: The Edge of Darkness in 2022. Early life Esha Deol was born in Bombay (present Mumbai) on 2 November 1981. She is the elder daughter of Bollywood actors Dharmendra (Dharam Singh Deol) and Hema Malini. She has a younger sister named Ahana. She is the half sister of actors Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol and first cousin of actor Abhay Deol. Her father is Punjabi Jat, and her mother Tamil Hindu Iyengar Brahmin. She speaks Tamil with her mother and sister. During her school days at Jamnabai Narsee School, she was passionate about football and played as a midfielder. She was the captain of her school football team, represented her college in handball at the state level. She played as a national level footballer and was also selected to play for Maharashtra in the Senior National Championship at Punjab in 2001. She then went on to attend Oxford University and obtained a master's degree in Media Arts and Computer Technology. Career Debut and early work (2002–2003) She started her acting career in a lead role with Vinay Shukla's Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe (2002) opposite Aftab Shivdasani, with Sanjay Kapoor, Jaya Bachchan and Anupam Kher playing supporting roles. The movie was a box office failure. Deol received mixed reactions from critics upon her performance. Savera R Someshwar of Rediff.com wrote "Esha, as a person, exudes a confidence that almost borders on arrogance." Rakesh Budhu of Planet Bollywood wrote "She isn't horrible, but given the hype, the demands and of course, comparisons, she surely isn't up to the mark. … Of course, she is nowhere close to being a washout and if you are her fan you can appreciate the other aspects of her performances without completely losing faith in her future projects." Despite mixed reactions and box office failure, Deol won numerous awards for her performance including