The story of Esha Deol’s marriage is nothing short of an adorable fairy tale. It is about a guy falling in love with a girl while he was in a school, but irked the girl in the process. The two never spoke to each other again up till their chance meeting as adults at the breathtaking Niagara falls. Here the boy finally proposes to his childhood sweetheart. Doesn’t it sound all filmy already? Perfect setting, gorgeous location and all… If that is what you thinking, then that is what Esha Deol and Bharat Takhtani marriage is all about. So let’s take a closer look, shall we?

Esha Deol – The Actress

Esha Deol was born in the year 1981, to one of the most popular actors of Indian cinema, Hema Malini and Dharmendra. During the early years of her life, she walked in the footsteps of her mother and trained in various Indian classical dance forms. By her early twenties, she wanted to continue the family tradition of becoming an actress. She made her début in the year 2002 with a slew of films that did not do well at the box office. Her breakthrough came with Mani Ratnam’s Tamil film Aaytha Ezhuthu in the year 2004. She was praised for her performance, and what made it all more special was that she reprised her role even in the Hindi version of the film that was named Yuva. It was a movie that established her as an actress, and since then she went on to play a part in a plethora of films.

The Childhood Sweethearts

It was somewhere around early 1990s, Esha and Bharat were studying in different schools. Once there was an inter-school competition and Esha and Bharat both participated in it representing their respective schools. It was the first time that Bharat saw Esha. It was love at first sight for this young teenage boy. In an interview later, Bharat shared that it was a certain kind of freshness and cuteness about Esha that attracted him towards her. Bharat most likely had no idea who Esha was but soon by chance they met again at another inter-school competition. This timer Bharat didn’t let the moment pass by, and decided to strike a friendship with Esha. Time passed by, and Bharat’s affection towards Esha deepened.

But Esha saw Bharat just as a friend, and had no mushy feelings for him. One day Bharat playfully decided to hold Esha’s hand. His act didn’t go down well with the young Esha and she retorted to him with words ‘How dare you hold my hand?’. As expected, Bharat was taken aback. It was the last day the two spoke to each other, and never ever interacted again. The heartbroken Bharat accepted the reality yet handled the situation gracefully. He continued to have a cordial relationship with Esha’s sister Ahana, who was his only source of news pertaining to Esha. In spite of not being on talking terms, Bharat always maintained a soft corner for Esha. He never let any other woman take the place in his heart, which Esha had taken. Little did he know that she would continue to hold that place, and a special place in his life, absolutely forever.

The Chance Meeting At Niagara Falls

Fast-forward to 10 years, and Esha had already made a début in films, and was out on a vacation to Niagara falls. Well, as a sweet coincidence even Bharat was present there holidaying. While it is not known how they met exactly at the same spot, it is said that Esha’s sister Ahana, who had been in touch with Bharat, tipped him off about Esha’s visit to that place. The duo met, and in spite of maintaining an external calm, Bharat was elated inside to meet his childhood sweetheart face to face after a really long time. Thanks to the catalyst Ahana, Esha put the past behind and reignited the friendship that she once shared with Bharat. This was everything what Bharat had always wanted, and the two soon became closer than they were during their childhood days.

It is said that right at their first meeting Bharat confessed his true feelings for Esha to which she responded in an affirmative way. This time Esha decided to give a shot to date Bharat. Soon she would spend more time with him than she would in her childhood. As days became months, Bharat realised that Esha had developed a certain fondness for him, and one day he proposed to her with the words, ‘Now can I hold your hand?’ To his amazement, and pleasant surprise, Esha gave a nod, and added that he can hold her hand forever. It was a moment Bharat had been waiting for a really long time. For Esha, she saw everything in Bharat that she had desired from her would-be life partner. In other words, he was the living epitome of everything that she wanted from an ideal soul-mate. At the same time, Esha was keen on having a love marriage rather than an arranged one.

“If you find someone with whom you’d be able to spend the rest of your life, someone whose face you wish to see before going to sleep and on waking up, then it’s beautiful. I can’t understand the arranged marriage concept; I had to fall in love to get married.”
– Esha Deol on marriage

“I realised that he’s someone who’ll be mine and remain loyal. Bharat’s outgoing yet traditional. He knows how to keep his family together. If he can love and care for them, he won’t let me down either. Also, he’s comfortable with my celebrity status. He doesn’t view me as Esha Deol, he knows me as Esha, his friend.”
– Esha Deol on Bharat Takhtani

She had once stated that she would marry only a guy who was as handsome as her father Dharmendra. Guess Bharat met her expectations, and the next step for Esha was to introduce Bharat to her parents.

Meet The Parents!

In an interview with the popular film magazine Filmfare, Esha shared the moment when she first introduced Bharat to Hema Malini and Dharmendra. The place was Hema Malini’s plush multi-storey house. That day was an usual one, shares Esha and she called out to her mother, and added that she had something to share. Hema Malini had little idea what was in store, and attended to her daughter’s call and found her daughter with a certain tall gentleman. Esha introduced him to her mother, and the two synced almost instantly. Later, she shared that Bharat is quite a disciplined person, a trait which she also sees in her mother.

The next meeting was with Dharmendra, which was a bit elaborate and it is said that it was an hour long. In the Filmfare interview, Bharat shared that Dharmendra listed down things that Bharat will have to fulfil as a husband. He shared that he has managed to tick half of those things on the list. He also was in praise for his father-in-law, and added that he actually became more responsible after that hour long chat with his future father-in-law that day.

Time For The Engagement

Now since that the couple had the seal of approval from their respective parents, they decided to take the first steps towards getting hitched. After over a year of dating, Esha and Bharat announced their engagement on 12th February 2012. It was planned to be a low-key affair that would be held at Hema Malini’s house. Esha later said that they just had a puja that was followed by a ring ceremony in Hema Malini’s house.

The couple made a brief appearance to the media in the compound of the house. Esha wore a pink embellished saree with a green blouse, while Bharat was seen in a white shirt and a beige colour blazer. Esha later shared an interesting tidbit from the engagement ceremony. She asked Bharat to get down on his knees and slip the ring on her finger. Bharat replied with ‘Really?’, and when it was his turn to put the ring he did exactly what his lady-love expected. Overall, it was a private affair, and the only invitee from tinsel-town was Jaya Bachchan whom Esha considers as a mother. After the engagement, the couple set their eyes on 29th June, 2012 as the date of the marriage.

The Festivities Begin!

The invites were out for the main event. Esha and Bharat were keen on having a logo for their wedding that would make a definitive reminder of their marriage for their rest of their life.

They had a logo of a lotus with the first letter of their names etched right at the middle of the petals. The invitation was packed in a lovely reusable box that would make a wonderful gift for the recipients. The pre-wedding functions comprised of two events, viz. sangeet and mehndi ceremony.

The sangeet ceremony was lush yet fun-filled one with a retro theme to it. Instead of having the conventional song and dance routine, the couple decided to give it a twist by playing some classic Bollywood music. Most of these would be from the films of Hema Malini and Dharmendra. The couple took on the dance floor, and later Esha shared that she had all plans of dancing and had decided to drag Bharat as well. Esha dazzled on the stage in an orange lehenga embellished with golden embroidery designed by Rocky S. Bharat wore a purple velvet sherwani, which was also heavily embroidered. This was one event where the couple invited their friends from the industry, and it was a decent star-studded affair. Hema Malini and Dharmendra were also present at the event, and Hema Malini danced on the stage bringing a cheer among the audience.

The sangeet ceremony was followed by the mehndi ceremony two days later on 27th June 2012. Just like the engagement ceremony, this was a private affair but a fun-filled one. Esha wore a dapper green and orange coloured lehenga, while Bharat was decked in a lovely bright yellow kurta with a beige coloured jacket. In spite of the absence of popular film personalities, Esha and mother Hema Malini brought an air of festivity with their exuberant personas.

It was finally time for the day for which the couple had always waited for. The families of the to-be bride and bridegroom chose the ISKCON temple in Mumbai as the venue of the wedding. The decorations were everything that one would expect from the wedding of Hema Malini and Dharmendra’s daughter. The insignia of their wedding was present on almost every element of decoration, and the entire venue looked resplendent.

For the wedding, Bharat wore a white sherwani with sequin work on it. He carried a white dupatta with heavily embroidered border. He also wore a maroon pagdi embellished with a golden border, while the rest of the male baraatis wore a red colour pagdi. Esha on the other side dressed as a typical Tamil bride in a bright red Kanjeevaram saree. The outfits for both bride and bridegroom were designed by the popular fashion designer Neeta Lulla. Overall, the wedding was a lovely event, and truly the kind that the couple would cherish for the rest of their lives.

The final event in the festivities was the reception, which was a grand one. This one had the maximum number of invitees, and it is said it was attended by nearly 2000 people. For this event, Bharat was decked up in tuxedo while Esha wore a light pink lehenga. It was an event with a heavy inflow of important people and the couple barely got time to sit. Overall, it all went well, and the couple soon left for a honeymoon to an undisclosed location.

The Minor Trouble

If you have seen all the images carefully, you will notice the conspicuous absence of Esha’s half brothers Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol. Though Esha’s cousin Abhay was present, the absence of Sunny and Bobby soon became noticeable by the time of reception. In fact, the brothers were only present during the engagement ceremony, which was a private event held at Hema Malini’s residence. One of the insider at the wedding stated that it was some internal differences that mainly led to Sunny and Bobby skipping the wedding.

The unnamed insider even added that in spite of marrying twice, Dharmendra has always maintained harmony with his two families. Although for the most part Hema Malini raised her daughters alone, she always had the help and support of Dharmendra. The curiosity of the media could not be contained though, and during Esha’s reception ceremony one of the reporters quizzed Dharmendra about the palpable absence of Sunny and Bobby. It left the very calm Dharmendra infuriated, and he was quite vocal about it. Here is a video of the moment when he was asked the question.

Till today, no one knows the real reason for the absence of Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol at their little sister Esha’s wedding. In spite of the external appearance of a fragmented family, the Deol family has always maintained strong ties. Despite being half brothers, Sunny and Bobby have always treated Esha and Ahana no less than their own sisters. It could be that the Deol brothers were too busy with a film shoot that they couldn’t make it or maybe it was something else, we may never know.

Life Thereafter

For the initial three years of the wedding, Esha’s main focus was her new family. In an interview after marriage, Bharat shared that Esha has adjusted well in the family, and is the first bahu in his joint family of seven cousins. He also shared his admiration towards Esha’s ability to manage the household quite efficiently.

“She takes care of my mother, her moods, she’s gelled so well. Actually, Esha’s always been gharelu though she liked to believe she was the boy of the house. She’s caring and responsible. She’s aware of what keeps me happy.”
– Bharat on Esha after marriage

The couple also shared that they do have tiffs but quickly sort it out. They shared that they have common hobbies, and love travelling.

“We’re kids ourselves, let us mature first.”
– Bharat on becoming parents in future

The couple has been busy with their respective lives since then. While Bharat has been busy with his business, Esha made a comeback in the show business in 2015 by co-hosting in the popular TV show Roadies. It is also said that she is keen on making a full-fledged comeback on the silver screen. Let’s hope so, and we also wish this couple the best for all their ventures.

Images Source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, dkreatephotography

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