Work. That’s where it’s all at for Esha Deol right now. “It’s because I really don’t have a personal life now and I’m totally dedicated to my work,” she confesses. 

Ask her about acting with papa Dharmendra and she says that won’t be possible. “It’s because we are so emotional about each other there’ll be tears in our eyes and we wouldn’t be able to act,” says Esha.

Papa is her role model, but her ideal man is not a romantic hero. “He should be down-to-earth, love me for who I am and accept me with my flaws. He should be driven and like working,” says Esha.

As for her own work, she says a variety of roles keep her interest alive. As a trained Bharatanatyam dancer, she’s someone who can easily express the emotions, which is probably why Esha can switch from one type of role to another with considerable ease. For the thriller, Cash, she had to learn to pivot a car 360 degree! “I did the stunts myself and although I’ve been driving for a long time, I took special training,” she adds.

Alongside those heavy-duty performances, she also swung to an item tune in Kya Kashmakash Hai. “I like dancing when I’m irritated or angry; it helps release stress. Dancing is about emoting gracefully and that’s what I’ve tried to do in the item song. They’ve spent a lot of money on it. It’s like a Russian ballet and I get to fly from one end of the set to the other,” says the dancer.

Career apart, politics interests Esha and she discusses it with her mother. “I always talk to mom about improving infrastructure and culture in our country. There are so few people who are interested in Bharatanatyam or other traditional dance forms; everybody wants to learn salsa and waltz,” she says.

She converses with her mom in Tamil. “It’s our code language in a place where most people speak Marathi.” Ask her what her mom tells her in Tamil and Esha says, her diction perfect, “Pavam yen kozhandai, yevlo velai pannitu vandrikai (my poor baby, how much work you’ve done!). That’s what my mom says when I am back from a hard day’s work!”

With those stunning looks, it seems difficult to believe that you are single!
In a day, I go for a shoot, get back home late night all tired and drained, hit the bed, and go to sleep. Next day, I wake up only to get back to work! Where is the time?

Isn’t ‘lack of time’ the most clinched reply?
For the past one year, I haven’t thought of a man! I am someone who is very particular about the kind of man I would want to be with. I expect commitment from a man and it’s very difficult to find such a man.

So you facing a tough time finding Mr Committed?
Ironically, I have a commitment phobia. I am in love with my work right now so I am not trying to find anyone! 

So why not fall for an actor, who is as busy as you are?
But these ‘actors’ also get attracted to ‘other actresses’ na (laughs)! I am not looking forward to having a man in my life that belongs to my field.

Your dad has made a full-fledged comeback with Apne?
I love seeing dad onscreen and off-screen. I have no words to express myself about ‘Apne’. He has done a commendable job.

Cash’s promos show that you’ve worked on your body a lot?
I didn’t want to lose weight when we were shooting in South Africa. We all used to work out everyday at this beautiful gym located there, also our trainer Satya made sure that we kept ourselves healthy.

You being a fitness freak, who do you think has the best body in the industry?
The whole trend is to look fit and healthy. Mallika Sherawat, Bipasha Basu, Aishwarya Rai all have stunning bodies. Look at Madhuri Dixit. She is looking svelte and gorgeous. Shamita Shetty has the best abs in the industry. It will even give men a complex!