‘My daughter Ahana Deol was crying like crazy’: Hema Malini recalls Dharmendra’s Padma award | Bollywood News
5 min readBengaluruUpdated: Jul 29, 2026 05:15 PM Actor Esha Deol celebrated her ser Ahana Deol’s birthday with a heartfelt note that left fans touched. Taking to social media, Esha shared a collection of precious family photographs and expressed her affection for her younger ser, making the occasion even more special.
Alongside the pictures, Esha penned an emotional birthday message, reminding Ahana of the unwavering love and blessings of their father, veteran actor Dharmendra. She wrote, “Happy Birthday my darling Ahana. May you always be blessed with happiness, good health and everything beautiful in life. Papa’s blessings are always with you. Love you always.”
The heartfelt post quickly garnered love from fans and well-wishers.
See Esha Deol’s post here:
Esha and Ahana are the daughters of veteran actors Dharmendra and Hema Malini. While Esha pursued a successful acting career in Bollywood, Ahana has largely stayed away from the limelight, choosing a more private life. Despite their different paths, the sers frequently share glimpses of their close relationship on social media.
Earlier, veteran actor Hema Malini reflected on the emotional moment when Dharmendra was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan, revealing that she wished the recognition had come a year earlier when he was recovering from a health scare. Hema also mentioned about the time when our India Prime Miner Narendra Modi called actor Dharmendra to check on his health.
Recalling the experience, Hema shared with Republic World, “When I received the Padma Vibhushan, it was a really tough moment for me, but I was also very happy. The Padma Vibhushan, the second highest award, was given to him. The only thing I wished was that it had been given earlier because one year before, he had fallen sick and was in the hospital. We used to be there with him at that time. Modi ji also called and asked what had happened and everything. He was very sweet about it. And Dharm ji was very happy too. I said, ‘I’ll be okay, I’m fine.’ Then things got alright. Then one year passed, and after that…”
Speaking about the honour, she added, “When he passed, this award was given, so I was very happy. Our family members were feeling great too, it was a really good moment. But anyway, whatever it is, it was given to him. It’s a big deal and a huge honor.”
Hema Malini also recalled the deeply emotional moment of accepting the Padma Vibhushan on Dharmendra’s behalf, saying she could almost feel his presence beside her during the ceremony.
She said, “As I was walking towards the President, I felt something I can’t really put into words, but I could sense that Dharm ji was right behind me, encouraging me, pushing me saying, ‘Come on, go ahead, go ahead, come on, receive it. You have to receive it on my behalf, come on, take it.’ So, I did receive it, then I sat down and tried to hold back my tears. I couldn’t do it, it was really tough.”
Sharing how the moment affected the family, Hema added, “But I could see my daughter Ahana was just crying like crazy because he gave so much, so much love to the whole family and the girls. Both my daughters are crazy about him, and I have five grandchildren now. They all adore him so much. They keep asking, ‘Where’s Nanu? We want to be with Nanu.’ You know, showing that much love to the entire family, finding someone like that is really rare. You won’t find it anywhere else.”Story continues below this ad
About Dharmendra and His Family
Veteran Bollywood actor Dharmendra, one of Indian cinema’s most celebrated stars, passed away on November 24, 2025, leaving behind an extraordinary legacy spanning more than seven decades. He is survived his wife, actor and politician Hema Malini, their daughters Esha Deol and Ahana Deol, as well as his first wife Prakash Kaur and their children, including actors Sunny Deol and Bob Deol.
