Dharmendra’s sons (Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol), daughter (Esha Deol), nephew (Abhay Deol), and grandsons (Karan Deol and Rajvir Deol) have followed in their footsteps and become actors, to varying degrees of success. But he also has a lesser-known daughter-in-law who also broke out as an actor despite her hesitation in the 1990s, only to quit the film industry and find her calling as a travel vlogger.Deepti Bhatnagar was born in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. She relocated to Mumbai and began a handicraft business before she was picked up for a modelling gig. She went on to do several campaigns as a model later on and even won the Miss India beauty pageant when she was just 18. Within a month, she had Rs 1 lakh in her bank account and within a year, she had bought a home in Mumbai.“When I came first to Mumbai at the age of 22, I opened my first bank account with State Bank of India, Juhu, and vowed that by the end of the month, I’d have a lakh in my account. Modelling was easy money, so I succeeded,” Deepti told Hindustan Times in a 2022 interview.“When I came to Mumbai, I wanted to buy my dream house in 11 months. And, I did! In Juhu, and that too, from Madhuri Dixit,” she added.Deepti Bhatnagar then entered the entertainment industry, making her acting debut with Sanjay Gupta’s 1995 action film Ram Shashtra, also starring Jackie Shroff, Manisha Koirala, and Aditya Pancholi. The next year, she also made her Telugu film debut with K Raghavendra Rao’s musical romance Pelli Sandadi. The year after that, she acted in her first Tamil film, KS Ravikumar’s action movie Dharma Chakkaram.Deepti even made her Hollywood debut, playing the leading lady in Fred Olen Ray’s 1997 spy thriller Inferno, which also marked R Madhavan’s film debut. Later, she appeared in a host of Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi films, including Indra Kumar’s 1999 romantic drama Mann, starring Aamir Khan and Manisha Koirala, which proved to be a major box office dud.In 1998, Deepti Bhatnagar also played the lead role of a cop in the television show Yeh Hai Raaz.Story continues below this adBut Deepti maintains she was always a hesitant actor. In the early 1990s, after she did a popular advertisement with Shah Rukh Khan, he began training her to play the role of Anna opposite him in Kundan Shah’s 1994 romantic drama Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa. But she “ran away from the screen test.” The memorable role was eventually essayed by Suchitra Krishnamoorthy.Deepti revealed that after doing a commercial with Sunny Deol, she was asked to meet Dharmendra, but “was too scared” to do that. “Who knew I would end up getting married into that family,” she told HT. Deepti is married to Randeep Arya, the son of Dharmendra’s cousin Veerendra, who was a popular actor in Punjabi films of the 1980s.“Randeep and I did the Fair and Lovely commercial, in which he played my husband. We got engaged the same year. Then, I moved in with him. After eight years, I asked him, ‘Shaadi karoge ab?’ (Will you marry me now?),” Deepti shared in the HT interview. They have two sons — Shubh, 18, and Shiv, 12. She’s also an aunt to TV actor Arjun Bijlani, as he’s married to her niece Neha Swami.“I’ve travelled the world with my family and gave birth to both my children while hosting Musaafir Hoon Yaaron. Both my sons travelled with me and exploring the world with them is my biggest blessing,” said Deepti, who is now a travel blogger, in an interview with Travel + Leisure India last year.Story continues below this adIn 2001, Deepti Bhatnagar started her TV production company with her husband, and produced the popular travel shows on Star Plus — Yatra and Musafir Hoon Yaaron, in which she travelled to 90 countries. “My shows Yatra and Musaafir Hoon Yaaron have taught me humility, how to connect with people, and to appreciate the world’s beauty. Whether I was acting or now creating travel content, the essence of what I do has always been about sharing meaningful stories. Over the years, my journey has evolved, but my passion for exploring and showcasing the world remains constant.”Also Read — Anil Sharma reminisces about Dharmendra’s shelved James Bond-style spy thriller Sher: ‘Dharam ji did highly stylish action and lovely comedy scenes’She’s now a YouTuber and content creator who regularly posts about her travels from across the world. “Maybe if I had made acting in movies my goal, then I would have done more films. But, I feel I’ve done really well for myself,” said Deepti to HT, adding, “There’s zero stress in my life because I continue to move away from situations that take away my happiness.”