Celebrities Who Changed Their Name

A name of a person is something that creates their identity and introduces them to people. Shakespeare might have asked everyone What’s in a name, but for the celebrities of the Bollywood industry, it is their name that’s pretty much everything.

It’s the name that builds their fame and recognition in showbiz. Some of the fans change their name after the star’s fame or even name their kids after their favorite star. If not so important why would celebrities change their name before they make their big debut in the film industry? There are times when even the producers and the directors make the actors change their names as it doesn’t go well with the screen presence.

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So here we have a list of a few celebrities in the Bollywood industry who changed their name before they entered Bollywood:

1. Amitabh Bachchan

The legendary actor popularly known as the Big B of the Bollywood industry was named Inquilaab Srivastava by his parents. Before debuting in his first film, he changed his to Amitabh Bachchan.

Amitabh Bachchan real name
Amitabh Bachchan/Instagram

2. Salman Khan

The ‘Bhai’ of the Hindi film industry was named Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan. When he decided to work in the industry he used Salman Khan which is just a part of his real name.

Salman Khan instagram
Salman Khan/Instagram

3. Rajinikanth

Our favorite actor in the South film industry, Thalaiva was initially known as Shivaji Rao Gaikwad when he was struggling to become an actor.

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Rajnikanth real name
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4. Akshay Kumar

Also known as ‘Akki’’ or the Khiladi of Bollywood was named Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia by his parents. He later used that name for his home production and named it Hari Om Entertainment.

Akshay Kumar real name
Akshay Kumar/Instagram

5. Hrithik Roshan

The actor is well known for his dance moves that can give anyone an inferiority complex. But he was not Hrithik ‘Roshan’ since birth but was Hrithik Rakesh ‘Nagrath’.

Hrithik Roshan real name
Hrithik Roshan/Instagram

6. Rekha

The gorgeous diva is known to make headlines in the Bollywood industry for her breathtaking beauty and her personal life. She was known as Bhanurekha Ganesan but changed it to Rekha later.

Rekha real name
Rekha/Instagram

7. Ranveer Singh

Ranveer Singh complete name is Ranveer Singh Bhavnani. While making his debut movie he removed the surname from his name.

Ranveer Singh full name
Ranveer Singh/Instagram

8. Annu Kapoor

The popular actor was initially named Anil Kapoor. He decided to change his name as that name was already an established name in the Bollywood industry. He didn’t want any confusion due to the name as he had played an important role in the movie Tejaab so he changed his name to Annu Kapoor.

Annu Kapoor real name
annukapoor/Instagram

9. Shilpa Shetty

She was formally known as Ashwini Shetty. But her astrologer mother thought that changing her name to Shilpa would bring her more luck in films.

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Shilpa Shetty real name
Shilpa Shetty/Instagram

10. Madhubala

An example of sheer beauty, the actress could literally take anyone’s breath away. But did you know that her real name was Mumtaz Begum Jehan Dehlavi?

Madhubala
britannica

11. John Abraham

The actor’s real name is Farhan Abraham. He chose to use John as his name in the industry because that is what his father used to call him.

when-john-abraham-recalled-people-asking-him-to-change-his-name-in-films
koimoi

12. Mithun Chakraborty

Popularly known as the ‘Disco dancer’ or ‘Mithun Da’ of the industry in the 80s, he was called Gourango Chakraborty before he decided to choose acting as a career.

mithun_chakraborty real name
jagranimages

13. Katrina Kaif

She came to the industry as Katrina Turquotte. But later changed her surname to her Kashmiri father’s surname, Kaif. It was easy for the audience to pronounce it.

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Katrina real name
Katrina Kaif/Instagram

14. Dharmendra

The veteran actor needs no introduction. The ‘He-man’ has not only changed his surname from Dharam to Dharmendra but also dropped his surname Deol before he became famous in the Hindi film industry.

Dharmendra real name
Dharmendra/Instagram

15. Ajay Devgn

His parents named him Vishal but he changed his name to Ajay when he joined the Bollywood industry.

Ajay Devgn real name
Ajay Devgn/Instagram

16. Preity Zinta

The dimpled beauty of the industry was known as Preetam Singh Zinta at birth.

Preity Zinta real name
Preity Zinta/Instagram

17. Govinda

The ace comedian and an amazing actor in the Hindi film industry was named Govind Arun Ahuja. He later changed his name to Govinda when he joined Bollywood.

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Govinda real name
Govinda/Instagram

18. Guru Dutt

The man of tragic Hindi films, Guru Dutt defined the Indian film industry. Dutt’s movies are often recommended when it comes to understanding Indian cinema. His original name was Vasanth Kumar Shivshankar Padukone and although it sounds royal it would have put the audiences off.

Guru Dutt real name
amazon

19. Anushka Shetty

The actress’s real name is Sweety Shetty. Doesn’t it remind you of the nicknames your parents often give you? It’s so common that she decided to change it.

Anushka Shetty instagram
Anushka Shetty/Instagram

20. Jackie Shroff

While we know him as ‘bheedu’ or ‘Jagu Dada’ of Bollywood, his real name was Jaikishen Kaku Bhai.

Jackie Shroff real name
Jackie Shroff/Instagram

21. Tiger Shroff

His real name is actually Jai Hemant Shroff but he followed his father’s step and changed it to Tiger Shroff as it sounds cool.

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Tiger Shroff instagram
Tiger Shroff/Instagram

22. Sridevi

One of the most versatile actresses of Bollywood was Sridevi. A name that no one can forget. But her real name was Shree Amma Yanger Ayyapan.

Sridevi real name
Sridevi/Instagram

24. Kiara Advani

The real name of Kiara was ‘Alia Advani’. But the Bhai of the Bollywood industry suggested she change her name as Alia Bhatt was already a well-established actress in the industry with the name ‘Alia’. So she went ahead and changed her name to Kiara from Alia.

Kiara Advani real name
Kiara Advani/Instagram

24. Tabu

She was initially named Tabassum Hashmi Khan. While entering the film industry she changed it to Tabu. Be it Tabu or Tabassum Hashmi Khan, we love her either way.

Tabu real name
Tabu/Instagram

25. Dev Anand

Dev Anand was a complete delight to watch on screen. He was born Dharam Devdutt Pishorimal Anand. He dropped the first part of his name when he made his Bollywood debut. No doubt there is no other actor to date that could match his persona.

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Dev Anand real name
hindustantimes

26. Ayushmann Khurrana

The actor’s father was an astrologist and he changed his name twice so that it can bring good fortune and success to the actor’s life. Ayushmann was formerly called Nishant Khurana. It was then changed to Ayushman Khurana. But his father again changed the spelling of his name to Ayushmann Khurrana with a double ‘n’ in Ayushmann and a double ‘r’ in Khurrana.

Ayushmann Khurrana real name
Ayushmann Khurrana/Instagram

27. Saif Ali Khan

Saif Ali Khan’s real name is Sajid Ali Khan. Very few of us might knew this until a copy of his marriage certificate to Kareena went viral on the internet.

Saif Ali Khan real name Sajid Ali Khan
IMDb

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An interior designer turned into content writer, Shalini is an experienced Editor and Content Writer with a demonstrated history of working in the marketing and advertising industry. Skilled in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Web Content Writing and Editing. Strong media and communication professional with an Interior Designer focused in Designing from Inifd. Experienced Content Writer with a demonstrated history of working in content writing and blogging for 6 years she has the ability to make an impact by writing statements that intensify the tone of a topic. She strive to find a way to weave words unconventionally while serving a meaningful result for the readers.