Esha Deol reveals she took Hema Malini’s permission to wear bikini in Dhoom: ‘I was very scared’

In a new interview, Esha Deol opened up about her bikini scene in the Dhoom title track. The actor recalled how Yash Raj Films’ head, filmmaker-director Aditya Chopra had informed her about the scene from the 2004 action film. Esha said she had asked for a day’s time to get permission from her mother, veteran actor Hema Malini, before committing to it. Also read: No Dhoom for me now, only respectable roles, Esha Deol says

Esha said that she was scared to talk to her mother about the bikini scene, but her reaction was ‘very different’ to what she had anticipated. Esha said that Hema Malini told her to ‘make sure it is shot nicely’. Esha also revealed that Aditya Chopra gave her six months to prepare for the film as he wanted her ‘to look a certain way’.

Speaking with Bollywood Bubble, Esha said, “Aditya said we are going to be doing this film (Dhoom), it is something different, something new… he said that ‘You will have to wear a bikini, so are you ready to do that?’ And I said, ‘Give me one day, let me take permission from my mother, if I can wear a bikini.’ Then I came home and asked her. I was very scared, when I was asking her.”

“Because see, on holidays and all, she has seen me wear a bikini, because what else will you wear while you swim, a swimsuit or a bikini. Her (Hema Malini’s) reaction was very different. She was like ‘Yeah wear, what is there in that. You wear it when you go out with your friends and you wear it on holidays, so wear. Make sure it is shot nicely’. Then I went and told him (Aditya Chopra), and he said ‘I am giving you six months, I want you to look a certain way. Will you be able to do it?’ I said yes, I have the best trainer,” she added.

Dhoom was released in 2004 and featured Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham alongside Uday Chopra and Esha Deol. She had played the role of Sheena. Yash Raj Films (YRF) went on to release two more Dhoom movies in 2006 and 2013, both of which were box office hits.