In the glamorous world of Bollywood, many of the biggest stars have chosen to create a new identity by tweaking the spelling of their name, revising it, or by eliminating their surnames before entering the industry. The reason may vary for each A-lister actor but is primarily affected by numerology or a desire to stand out and bring fame, and success. Let’s check out famous celebrities who reinvented themselves.

Shilpa Shetty is one of the most loved actresses in Bollywood. Shilpa Shetty’s original name is Ashwini Shetty. Her astrologer mother, Sunanda Shetty, changed her name before entering Bollywood to enhance her career in acting.

Born as Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia, Akshay Kumar is one of the prominent names in film fraternity. Akshay Kumar marked his Bollywood debut in 1987 with the film Aaj in a cameo appearance. But he got his first break in 1992 with the film Khiladi. Before acting, Akshay primarily worked as a chef in a restaurant, later learning martial arts.

Born to Gemini Ganesan and Pushpavalli, Rekha’s full name is Bhanurekha Ganesan. The evergreen diva revised her name to Rekha and used it as her on-screen name to create an elegant identity. This thought indeed brought fame and success in her illustrious acting career.

Born as Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan – his name reflects his family lineage. Salman dropped his full name in order to simplify his connection to the audience. Salim is his father’s name, and Abdul Rashid is his grandfather’s name.

Bollywood actress Kiara Advani’s real name is Alia Advani. Salman Khan advised her to change name as there was already a popular star, Alia Bhatt. And two actresses cannot share the same name. So, Kiara changed her name before entering Bollywood. The name was inspired by Priyanka Chopra’s character in the film Anjana Anjani.

Ajay Devgn’s original name is Vishal Veeru Devgan. Before his debut in 1991 with the film Phool Aur Kaante, he changed his name from Vishal to Ajay to stand out. Later dropped “a” from his surname for astrological beliefs, believing it would bring him massive hits and luck.

Bollywood actress Rani Mukerji is one of most beautiful and talented actresses in showbiz. She changed her surname from Mukherjee to Mukerji to align with numerological reasons. It has been more favorable for her career, as her stardom rose from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Bunty Aur Babli.

Katrina Kaif, one of the most successful actresses of Bollywood, was born as Katrina Turquotte. The actress dropped her mother’s last name and adopted her father’s last name before her Bollywood debut. The idea of modifying her last name was to connect easily with the audience.

Ayushmann Khurrana’s real name is Nishant Khurrana. His father, who was an astrologer, changed his name to Ayushmann Khurrana when he was three years old. His father later added double “n” and “r” to his name, which brought him good fortune and great stardom in the film fraternity.

Suniel Shetty added an extra “e” to his first name, which changed his name from Sunil to Suniel. He altered his name as per numerology guidance, which has given him tremendous success. He is also known for his action and comedy films.

Stay tuned to Koimoi for more Bollywood features!

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