Dharmendra passes away at 89: Who is Deepti Bhatnagar, the Deol family member trained by SRK?

Bollywood's legend, Dharmendra, took his last breath on November 24, at the age of 89, in Mumbai. The actor was admitted to the Breach Candy Hospital earlier this month due to his deteriorating health and was later discharged. Reportedly, his last rites took place at the Pawan Hans crematorium in Mumbai, in the presence of his family members and several Bollywood celebrities.

Popularly called Bollywood's He-Man, several members of his family are associated with Bollywood, including sons Sunny and Bobby Deol and daughter Esha Deol. But do you know Deepti Bhatnagar, a lesser-known member of the family who is also accomplished? She was once trained under Shah Rukh Khan, and today she has made a career as a traveler and digital creator.

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About Deepti Bhatnagar's early life

She was born in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, and moved to Mumbai later. She started the handicrafts business before trying her luck in modelling. In no time, Bhatnagar climbed the ladder of fame and won a beauty pageant at just 18. She got several advertising offers and became a popular face.

"When I first came to Mumbai at 22, I opened my bank account in SBI, Juhu, and vowed I’d have a lakh by the end of the month. Modelling was easy money, so I succeeded," she said in an interview with the Hindustan Times in 2022.

Interestingly, within a year, she bought her own home in Juhu from Bollywood star Madhuri Dixit.

Also Read: Dharmendra passes away: Big B joins Deol family at actor’s cremation ceremony

Trained for acting by SRK

After modelling, she entered acting with Sanjay Gupta’s Ram Shastra (1995), followed by appearances in Telugu film Pelli Sandadi (1996), Tamil film Dharma Chakkaram (1997), and the Hollywood thriller Inferno (1997).

She later also featured in the Aamir Khan and Manisha Koirala starrer Mann (1999) and worked in the TV thriller Yeh Hai Raaz (1998). But acting did not attract her so much. Nevertheless, she was trained under Shah Rukh Khan for the role of Anna in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, only to withdraw at the last moment.

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"I ran away from the screen test," she admitted in an interview. The role was eventually done by Suchitra Krishnamoorthy. Her first meeting with Dharmendra took place during a commercial with Sunny Deol, which led to an invitation to meet the actor, but she was too nervous to do so.

How did she become a part of the Deol family?

Bhatnagar married Randeep Arya, who is the son of Dharmendra’s cousin and Punjabi film star Veerendra. The duo first met while shooting a commercial in which Randeep played her husband. "We got engaged the same year. After eight years, I asked him - ‘Shaadi karoge ab?'" She revealed it once in an interview.

They share two sons, Shubh and Shiv. Bhatnagar is also aunt to TV actor Arjun Bijlani through her niece Neha Swami.

Also Read: Golden Words, Evergreen Charm: The timeless dialogues of Dharmendra

How Bhatnagar became a travel vlogger

She and her husband started their own production company in 2001, and created two travel shows for Star Plus, Yatra and Musafir Hoon Yaaron. These shows were said to be among the pioneers of Indian travel television, long before YouTube travel creation became popular.

Through Musafir Hoon Yaaron, Deepti travelled to nearly 90 countries, some of which she explored with her children by her side.

"I’ve travelled the world with my family and even gave birth to both my children while hosting the show. Exploring the world with them is my biggest blessing," she once told Travel + Leisure India.

Today, Deepti Bhatnagar is a travel vlogger and YouTuber, with over 190,000 subscribers.