Dharmendra, fondly known as “He-Man of Bollywood”, was posthumously conferred with the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian honour. His wife, actor and BJP MP Hema Malini, accepted the award from President Droupadi Murmu during the first Civil Investiture Ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday evening. Their daughter, Esha Deol, who could not attend the ceremony, penned an emotional note after watching her mother receive the honour on behalf of her late father.
Esha Deol Pens Emotional Note
“A moment of pride. A moment of emotion,” Esha wrote while sharing visuals from the Padma Awards 2026 ceremony in Delhi. Reflecting on the moment, she said she deeply wished her father had been there in person to receive the prestigious honour.
“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 the prestigious award,” she wrote.
Esha further shared how emotional the ceremony was for the family, especially with Ahana representing the siblings.
“Yesterday, as my mother represented our family and received the award, the youngest of us, Ahana, represented all six of us children and shed tears and clapped in honour of our father - a man who we love, who we cherish, who we miss and who we proudly call our papa. Forever in our hearts,” she added.
Earlier, a video of Ahana getting emotional during the ceremony went viral on social media. She was seen wiping away tears and applauding as Hema Malini accepted the honour on Dharmendra’s behalf.
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Dharmendra was awarded the Padma Vibhushan for his immense contribution to Indian cinema. “One of the most versatile and successful actors in the history of the Hindi film industry. Popularly known as the ‘He-Man’ of Bollywood. Left an indelible mark through 300 films,” read the official citation on the award website about him.
Hema Malini On Representing Dharmendra
Ahead of receiving the honour in Delhi, Hema Malini spoke to us and called it an emotional moment for the entire family. She also confirmed that Dharmendra’s sons, Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol, were aware and supportive of her representing him at the ceremony.
“Sunny and Bobby are aware. It is all good,” she said.
Hema also admitted she wished Dharmendra had received the recognition during his lifetime. “I am filled with joy that the Government considered him worthy of a Padma Vibhushan. He should have got it while he was still with us. But that is all right. Recognition, true recognition, is welcome any time,” she said.
“He would have been very happy.”
She added that while Dharmendra often felt he never received enough recognition for his performances, the love of millions of fans always meant a lot to him. “He felt he never got recognition for his performances. But he also felt the love of millions of fans was recognition enough. But if you see, even his best performances, like Satyakam, Pratiggya, Anupama, and Chupke Chupke, never received any awards. This (the Padma Vibhushan) is sufficient compensation for all those missed opportunities,” she said.