From Sridevi to Rajnikanth, here’s a list of real names of actors who made it big in Bollywood
There are a number of reasons why actors and celebrities change their names. Some change it because their real names are long and boring. Some change it to make it more “glamorous”. And there are people who change it for better luck in their profession. We all know that Akshay Kumar’s real name is Rajiv Hari om Bhatia. It’s quite a mouthful. And Akshay is so much better than Rajiv. Find out the real name of actors who made it big in Bollywood.
Tiger Shroff
The real name of actor Tiger Shroff is Jai Hemant Shroff. Only Jackie Shroff could have named his son Tiger. But we are glad he did not. Jai Hemant is certainly not a great name for a megastar. Even his father Jackie Shroff is actually named Jai Kishan Kakubhai Shroff. Jackie once said that he named his son Tiger because when he was small, he used to bite like a tiger.
Read more: 5 Bollywood Remakes of Hollywood Movies That Are Actually Good
Katrina Kaif
The Hong Kong-born actress changed her name Katrina Turquotte to Katrina Kaif after entering Bollywood. She did that because Kaif is easier to pronounce and remember than Turquotte. Katrina is half British and half Indian. Katrina used to have her mother’s last name but later changed I to her father’s last name.
Rajnikanth
The Dadasaheb Phalke Awardee was born Shivaji Rao Gaekwad. He was given the name by director K Balachander in 1972. The name was inspired by a character from the filmmaker’s earlier movie, Major Chandrakanth. He was “renamed” on March 27, the day of Holi, and he made it a point to interact with his filmmaker mentor every year on that day.
Rekha
Bollywood superstar Rekha was born Bhanurekha Ganesan and she used Rekha as her stage name from the time she was a child actress. She was the daughter of actors Pushpavalli and Gemini Ganesan. She lived up to her parent’s name by being noted for her versatility. One of the finest actors in Bollywood, Rekha has acted in more than 180 movies.
Madhubala
Madhubala’s real name was Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi. She was even credited for her first lead role in Sharma’s Neel Kamal as Mumtaz. Later in the year, Director Mohan Sinha rechristened her as “Madhubala”, literally meaning “honey belle” when signing her for his drama Mere Bhagwan(1947). Madhubala was one of the highest-paid and most popular actresses of the 1950s in India. She is definitely one of the most beautiful, greatest, and influential personalities of Indian cinema.
Sridevi
Sridevi was born Shree Amma Yanger Ayyapan. It’s understandable why she changed her name. Sridevi was one of the most celebrated actresses of all time. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actresses in the history of Indian cinema and regarded as the “First Female Superstar” of Indian cinema. During the 1980s-90s Sridevi was one of the highest-paid actresses in Hindi cinema.
Shilpa Shetty
Shilpa Shetty changed her name very early in her career. Born as Ashwini Shetty, she changed her name to Shilpa as advised by her mother. Shilpa’s mother, who is also an astrologer, was of the view that the name Shilpa would bring her fame and success according to numerology. She was not wrong, Shilpa was one of the most popular stars of her time and still is quite relevant.
Dilip Kumar
Credited for bringing the method acting technique to Indian Cinema, Dilip Kumar was born Mohammed Yusuf Khan. The real name of actor Dipil Kumar was changed at the request of actress Devika Rani, the owner of Bombay Talkies, who asked him to sign up with the company on a salary of Rs. 1250 per month and later cast him for his first lead role for Jwar Bhata (1944).
The list of actors who changed their names is way too long to document in a single blog. But this was a list of the real names of actors who adopted a reel name and made it big. Real or reel names, we love all of them based on their talent.
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