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Teddy bear tales
MOTHER'S DAUGHTER: Actress Esha Deol in the Capital. Photo: R.V. Moorthy.
ONCE the well-known singer Lucky Ali was asked by a reporter of a television channel why he titled his album `Sifar', meaning zero. Ali was honest enough. Not knowing that sometimes manipulation works while giving interviews, he answered that he read this word somewhere, quite liked it and hence titled his album. If you call this honesty a mistake, then Esha Deol definitely is one who keeps committing such `mistakes' in her interviews. "I enjoy doing films so I am doing them. It is fun," is her answer to why she chose Mani Ratnam's Yuva, where she does not have a substantial role. Suddenly she seems to realise her `folly', "Manida is big name, so why not? I am his choice, you ask him," says Esha, who has worked in both the Hindi and Tamil version of Yuva.
And mama Hema Malini helps her choose the scripts. "She is my right hand. She has spent ages in the film industry, so obviously knows what is good for me," avers Esha. However, she finds it "irrational" when people come out with views such as `Hema has overshadowed her daughter' or `comparisons are inevitable'.
"People even say that I should feel threatened by her presence in the film industry, especially if she is regularly getting glamorous mother roles in films, and that she looks more glamorous than me. It sounds so awkward. I never feel threatened by her presence. In fact I feel proud seeing that most of the heroines of her age have a sunken career in films now. She has done at this age what others could not. I can only feel inspired, not scared. After all, she is my mother," Esha declares vehemently.
Most of Esha's films have not done well at the box office. "I am not bothered. My acting was appreciated, and on that basis I keep getting new films. See, now I have Yash Chopra's Dhoom, Boney Kapoor's No Entry, Matinee, Jaane Bahar, and so on." Persistent as a child, she counts her films on the fingers. Creases have started showing on her forehead.
The best way to bring back her cheerful and childlike mood is to mention her film Na Tum Jano Na Hum. "That's my favourite, because it has that cute yellow, teddy bear you know," she chuckles, forgetting all bitterness.
It is better to leave her like that. Let her grow up!
RANA SIDDIQUI
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