The creative gene

MUMBAI: Hema Malini’s new film Tell Me Oh Khuda stars her husband Dharmendra and their daughter Esha Deol.

Generally Dharmendra is seen to shy away from any public association with his second family, onscreen or otherwise but he said he couldn’t say no to an offer to work with Deol. “I did it for her. One can never say no to one’s children. Esha is very gifted. I felt very proud watching her in front of the camera,” Dharamendra told IANS.

“I also got a chance to meet up with my colleagues Rishi (Kapoor) and Vinod (Khanna) after a long time. So Goa was very enjoyable,” said Dharamendra, who went straight from shooting with his daughter in Goa to filming with his two sons - Sunny and Bobby - in Indore.

He recalled how intimidated Sunny was when they shared screen space in Sultanat. But Esha Deol, on the other hand, showed absolutely no fear or nervousness in being seen with her legendary father. “Working with one’s children is always an emotional experience. While shooting with Esha I was doubly emotional since this was the first time I saw her acting, and that too with me,” said Dharmendra who may produce a film for his daughter.

While working with Deol for the first time was a breeze, teaming up with Hema Malini after so many years seemed to make Dharmendra uncomfortable. “There’s a role for her. Let’s see if she does it or not. If people want to see us together again, it would have to be that way,” said Dharmendra. One of the hit pairs of 1970s and 1980s, Dharmendar-Hema were last seen together in the 1996 movie Aatank.

There are a number of families who have the creative gene, which includes the Bachchans, the Chopras and Johars, the Dutts, the Kapoor clan, the Khan-Roshan family, the Khannas and the Oberois. Additionally a number of parent-child couplings have taken place on screen in Bollywood.

Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan

Abhishek Bachcan is the son of Indian actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan. Abhishek began his acting career in 2000 and has established himself as one of the leading actors in the industry. He and his legendary father have worked together in films such as Bunty aur Bubli, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, Sarkar and its sequel Sarkar Raj and Paa.

Salman Khan and Helen

Salman Khan is one of the leading men in Bollywood and made his acting debut in 1988 with Biwi Ho To Aisi. Khan is the eldest son of famous screenwriter Salim Khan and his stepmother is the famous former Bollywood actor Helen. The two acted together in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Khamoshi: The Musical in 1996 and Hum Dil De Chukey Sanam in 1999.

Sunil Dutt and Sanjay Dutt

Sanjay Dutt was born to film stars Sunil and Nargis Dutt in 1959. He made his acting debut in the early 1980s and has gone on to become a prominent Bollywood star. The father and son acted together in the Indian comedy Munna Bhai MBBS in 2003. This was the first film in the popular Munna Bhai series and starred Sanjay Dutt as the protagonist, Munna Bhai. IANS WITH ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY NEWS DESK

Published in the Express Tribune, June 9^th, 2010.