Meet Dharmendra’s Kids: Sunny, Bobby, Esha, Ahana, Vijeta, and Ajeita Deol

Dharmendra, born Dharmendra Kewal Krishan Deol (also recorded in some accounts as Dharam Singh Deol) on December 8, 1935, in the village of Nasrali in Punjab’s Ludhiana district, was one of Hindi cinema’s most enduring leading men.

He came from a Punjabi Hindu Jat family, though several biographical accounts also describe the household as Jat Sikh, and the actor himself maintained that he was a practising Hindu of Arya Samaji background whenever questions about his religion resurfaced over the decades.

His father, Kewal Krishan, was a school headmaster, and his mother was Satwant Kaur. He was the second of three children, with an elder sister, Harminder Kaur, and a younger brother, Ajit Singh Deol, who also acted in Hindi and Punjabi films before his death in 2015.

Dharmendra completed his matriculation in Phagwara in 1952 and studied at Ramgarhia College before travelling to Mumbai to pursue an acting career, a path that eventually produced a filmography of more than 300 films over 65 years.

Standing at approximately 178 cm (5 feet 10 inches) during his prime years, according to most published estimates, though some accounts list him closer to 173 cm (5 feet 8 inches), Dharmendra married Prakash Kaur in 1954, when he was just 19 and still years away from his film debut. Their marriage produced four children.

He later married actress Hema Malini in 1980, his co-star in several hit films including Sholay, a union that added two more daughters to his family and made him father to six children in total.

He remained married to both women simultaneously, a fact that drew significant public attention throughout his life, and he lived largely with Prakash Kaur while Hema Malini raised her daughters independently. Dharmendra died on November 24, 2025, at his residence in Mumbai at age 89, just weeks short of his 90th birthday, following age-related illness.

He was posthumously awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian honour, in 2026.

Here is a closer look at each of his six children.

Sunny Deol

Sunny Deol, born Ajay Singh Deol on October 19, 1956, currently 69, is Dharmendra’s eldest son, born to his first wife, Prakash Kaur.

He was launched into films by his father’s production company, Vijayta Films, with the 1983 blockbuster Betaab, and went on to become one of Bollywood’s most recognizable action stars in his own right, with hits such as Ghayal, Border, and Gadar: Ek Prem Katha.

To Dharmendra, Sunny was his firstborn son and the actor he groomed for stardom through his own production house, later standing beside him through decades of box office highs and lows in the industry.

Bobby Deol

Bobby Deol, born Vijayendra Singh Deol on January 27, 1969, currently 57, is Dharmendra’s younger son with Prakash Kaur.

He made his acting debut in 1995 in Barsaat, a film his father produced specifically to launch him alongside Twinkle Khanna. To Dharmendra, Bobby was his younger son, the second actor he introduced to Hindi cinema through Vijayta Films, and in a personal tribute to his father, Bobby went on to lend his voice for the younger version of Dharmendra’s character in the 2026 war drama Ikkis, the elder actor’s final film.

Esha Deol

Esha Deol, born on November 2, 1981, currently 44, is Dharmendra’s elder daughter with his second wife, Hema Malini. She built her own career as an actress, appearing in films such as Dhoom and Yuva.

To Dharmendra, Esha was his firstborn child with Malini, and she remained one of the family members most publicly vocal in defending him against rumours, including the false reports of his death that circulated in November 2025 shortly before he actually passed away.

Ahana Deol

Ahana Deol, born on March 27, 1985, currently 41, is Dharmendra’s younger daughter with Hema Malini. She worked as an assistant director rather than pursuing a front-facing acting career, choosing to stay largely away from the spotlight compared to her siblings.

To Dharmendra, Ahana was his youngest child overall, the last of his six children, and one of the two daughters from his marriage to Malini who reunited publicly with her half-brother Sunny at a film screening following their father’s passing.

Vijeta Deol

Vijeta Deol, born in 1962, is Dharmendra’s elder daughter with Prakash Kaur. She has largely stayed out of the entertainment industry and the public eye compared to her more famous siblings.

To Dharmendra, Vijeta was his eldest daughter, and he honoured her by naming his production company, Vijayta Films, after her when he founded it in 1983.

Ajeita Deol

Ajeita Deol, born in 1966, also referred to as Ajeeta in some records, is Dharmendra’s younger daughter with Prakash Kaur.

Like her sister Vijeta, she has kept a private life away from Bollywood. To Dharmendra, Ajeita was his second daughter with his first wife, completing the set of four children from that marriage before his family later expanded with the arrival of Esha and Ahana.

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