Esha Deol met Dharmendra's first wife Prakash Kaur when she was 30 years old, Hema Malini revealed why she never went to his house

When Dharmendra tied the knot with Hema Malini in 1980, it sent shockwaves across the nation. At the time, he was already married to Prakash Kaur and a father to two sons. Prakash, aware of her husband’s closeness with Hema, had little say in the matter. Dharmendra went on to start another family with Hema, welcoming two daughters with her. Despite living separately, the children from both sides have spoken about sharing a cordial relationship. In fact, they all came together to celebrate the blockbuster success of Gadar 2 a few years ago. But Hema and Prakash’s paths have only crossed a handful of times.In her memoir 'Hema Malini: Beyond the Dream Girl', the actress reflected on her delicate equation with Dharmendra’s first wife, observing that “certain subjects aren’t meant to be discussed in public.” She admitted she has never set foot in her husband’s original Juhu residence, even though her own bungalow is just a short distance away. Esha Deol, however, had her first encounter with Prakash Kaur much later in life, when her uncle Ajit fell critically ill. At 30, she visited the house for the first time and recalled, “I touched her feet, she blessed me and I walked away.”Hema also remembered her warm encounters with Dharmendra’s parents. Speaking about his mother Satwant Kaur, she shared, “Dharamji’s mother Satwant Kaur was equally warm and kind-hearted. I remember how she came to meet me once at a dubbing studio in Juhu, after I had conceived Esha. She hadn’t informed anyone in the house. I touched her feet, she hugged me and said, ‘Beta, khush raho hamesha (Be happy always).’ I was happy that they were happy with me.”She recounted similar memories of Dharmendra’s father. “He would drop by and meet my father or brother for chai. Instead of shaking hands he would arm-wrestle them, and after defeating them he would jokingly say, ‘Tum log ghee-makkhan-lassi khao, idli aur sambhar se taqat nahi aati (Have butter, lassi, ghee. Idli and sambhar won’t make you strong).’ My father would join in the laughter. He (Dharmendra’s father) was a very jovial person.”The memoir also offered glimpses into how Hema chose to navigate the unconventional domestic set-up. “I didn’t want to disturb anyone. I am happy with whatever Dharamji did for me and my daughters. He played the role of a father, like any father would do. I guess I am happy with that. Today I am a working woman and I have been able to maintain my dignity because I have devoted my life to art and culture. I guess, if the situation was even slightly different from this, I wouldn’t be what I am today. Though I have never spoken about Prakash, I respect her a lot. Even my daughters respect Dharamji’s family. The world wants to know about my life in detail, but that is not for others to know. It’s no one’s business,” she wrote.Interestingly, soon after their marriage, Prakash Kaur addressed the controversy in a Stardust interview. She openly defended her husband, remarking, “Why only my husband? Any man would have preferred Hema over me.” She went on, “How dare anyone call my husband a womaniser when half the industry is doing the same thing? He may not be the best husband, though he is very good to me, but he is certainly the best father. His children love him a lot. He never neglects them.”Esha too recalled when her mother first explained their family situation to her. She was in the fourth standard when a classmate mocked her for having “two mothers.” That moment led to an honest conversation. “So, that was when I understood that my mother had married someone who was already married to another lady and that they also had a family. But frankly speaking, I never felt bad about it. Till today, I don’t think there is anything wrong with it. And I give full credit to my parents for not making us ever feel uncomfortable,” she said in Hema’s biography.