True to form for a Bollywood star, actress Esha Deol crossed numerous genre boundaries in her role selection, often essaying many genres in a single project. Born into one of the most famous show-business families in India -- the child of thespian parents Hema Malini and Dharmendra, granddaughter of producer Jaya Chakravarthy, and half sister of celebrity actors Bobby Deol and Sunny Deol -- Esha studied at the Jamnabai Narsee School, then did undergraduate and graduate-level work at Oxford University, majoring in media arts and computer technology.
Deol subsequently returned to India and debuted onscreen with a role in the 2002 feature Koi Mere Dil Se Pooche; though the film underperformed at the Indian box office, Deol's work in it received high praise and not only enabled Deol to win the Lux New Face Award for her contributions, but secured a bright future for the burgeoning actress. Subsequent projects included the 2004 Yuva, the 2005 Shaadi No. 1, and the 2006 Ankahee. In 2008, Deol joined co-stars Tusshar Kapoor and Paresh Rawal for a plum role in director Ashwani Dheer's crime comedy One Two Three.
