Wish he was here: Esha Deol's emotional note after Dharmendra's Padma Vibhushan

Esha Deol shared an emotional note after her late father Dharmendra was posthumously conferred the Padma Vibhushan at the Padma Awards 2026 ceremony. Remembering the legendary actor, Esha said the family deeply wished he had been present to receive the honour himself.

Sharing photographs from the ceremony on Instagram, including moments of Hema Malini becoming emotional while accepting the award, Esha wrote, “A moment of pride. A moment of emotion. How we so deeply wished he was present today, dressed in a crisp white shirt and blue suit, looking as handsome as always, with the excitement of a young boy going to receive this prestigious award.”

She added, “Yesterday, as my mother represented our family and received the award, and the youngest of us, Ahana, represented all six of us children, she shed tears and clapped in honour of our father — a man whom we love, cherish, miss, and proudly call our papa. Forever in our hearts.”

One of the moments from the ceremony that was widely shared online showed Dharmendra and Hema’s youngest daughter, Ahana Deol, getting emotional and wiping away tears while applauding as Hema Malini accepted the honour on Dharmendra’s behalf.

President of India, Droupadi Murmu, conferred the Padma Awards 2026 on 131 recipients from different fields. Dharmendra was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan for his contribution to Indian cinema over more than six decades.

Before the ceremony, Hema Malini had told HT City that Esha also wished to attend but could not make it. Speaking about the occasion, she said, “It’s an emotional moment for me. Ahana is with me, and Esha wanted to come but could not make it here. The entire family is happy. Sunny, Bobby, everyone is aware of this, and it’s a big moment for all of us.”

Known as the “He-Man of Bollywood”, Dharmendra remained one of Hindi cinema’s most celebrated stars, with a career spanning over 60 years and more than 300 films.

Just days before his 90th birthday, the actor had been admitted to Breach Candy Hospital after suffering respiratory complications. Rumours regarding his death had spread online at the time, prompting the family to issue clarifications. He was later discharged and returned home, where he eventually died surrounded by family members.

Dharmendra’s final film, Ikkis, was released posthumously on January 1.

Before entering films, Dharmendra married Prakash Kaur, with whom he had sons Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol and daugthers, Ajeeta and Vijeta. He later married Hema Malini, and the couple had two daughters, Esha and Ahana Deol.

The Padma awards ceremony became an emotional moment for the Deol family, as they remembered the actor while accepting one of India’s highest civilian honours on his behalf.