Esha Deol’s Ek Duaa deals with gender discrimination

After garnering positive reviews for Cakewalk, her 2019 release, Esha Deol has tried her hands at a short film, Ek Duaa. Currently streaming on Voot Select, Ek Duaa is said to be an authentic attempt by the team that takes on the relevant issue of female foeticide. Directed by Ram Kamal Mukherjee and starring Deol, Rajveer Ankur Singh and Barbie Sharma, it is said to be the heart-warming story of a mother and daughter. According to Esha, it is the film’s subject which motivated her to take up the project, which also marks her debut as a producer.

While talking about her experience as a producer to Indian Express, the actress said that she was entrusted with certain responsibilities to the cast and crew. She had to ensure that they were comfortable and were well taken care of on the sets and made them feel like it was their film as well.

Throwing more light on the film, she added that it was her idea to address an important issue in the society through the project, and she hopes to receive positive responses from the audience. The discrimination of girl child in the society still prevails in spite of the changing times, and the plot of Ek Duaa revolves around this. When asked about hers and her sister’s experiences in terms of gender discrimination, she said, “I haven’t had experiences to an extent to which it personally affected me. Since childhood, I have been strong-headed and knew exactly what I wanted to do and what not. So, all the right choices and even the mistakes that I made, were my decisions. Also, I think I have always had a strong personality and nothing could affect me easily.”

She also recollected her mother Hema Malini’s earlier revelation of her father Dharmendra’s initial displeasure with Esha's decision to enter Bollywood and her interest in dancing in films as he believed he knew how things work in the industry. Esha said that his opinion changed when he realised how memorable Esha’s performances were in her first few movies and when she was appreciated by people. Apparently, this gave him the confidence to encourage her career in the industry.