Esha Deol was born on November 2, 1981, in Bombay (now Mumbai), India. She is the elder daughter of Bollywood actors Dharmendra and Hema Malini. She has a younger sister named Ahana. She is the half-sister of actors Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol and the first cousin of actor Abhay Deol. Her father is Punjabi Jat, and her mother is a Tamil Hindu Iyengar Brahmin. She speaks Tamil with her mother and sister.

Esha studied at Jamnabai Narsee School and was passionate about football. She played as a midfielder and was the captain of her school football team. She represented her college in handball at the state level. She played as a national level footballer and was also selected to play for Maharashtra in the Senior National Championship at Punjab in 2001. She went on to attend Oxford University and obtained a Masters Degree in Media Arts and Computer Technology.

Esha Deol made her acting debut in the romantic thriller "Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe" (2002), which won her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. Despite a series of poorly received films, she had success in the political film "Aayutha Ezhuthu" (2004), the horror film "Kaal" (2005), the action thrillers "Dhoom" (2004) and "Dus" (2005), and the comedy "No Entry" (2005).

This was followed by a setback and a hiatus. Esha returned to acting with the streaming series "Rudra: The Edge of Darkness" (2022) and "Hunter Tootega Nahi Todega" (2023).

Esha Deol married businessman Bharat Takhtani in 2012. They have two daughters, Radhya (born on October 20, 2017) and Miraya (born on June 10, 2019). However, Esha and Bharat announced their separation in an interview in February 2024.

Esha Deol is known for her rigorous workout sessions mixed with a strict diet plan. She spends around 2 hours in the gym every day. After her marriage, she made several lifestyle changes, including not being able to casually wear shorts and tops around the house as she did before.

Esha Deol has won numerous awards for her performance, including the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut at the 48th Filmfare Awards.