From Akshay Kumar to Rajinikanth: The real names of these silver screen superstars will surprise you
Salman Khan, Madhubala and Rekha are some of the other actors who changed their names before entering showbiz.
Did you know the real names of your favourite celebrities?
This might come as a surprise to some cinephiles that their favourite celebrities do not go by their real names on screens and were originally called different names by their parents. Actors like Salman Khan, Preity Zinta and Tiger Shroff changed their names before making their acting debuts. Check out some of the other actors who opted for different screen names.
Last Updated: 02.34 PM, Feb 26, 2024
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Salman Khan
Bollywood’s most popular Bhaijaan, born on December 27, 1965, was named Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan by his parents. The actor cut it short and used only a part of his real name while making his acting debut.
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Rajinikanth
Many of his fans might not know that Thalaiva changed his name before making his acting debut. He was born on December 12, 1950, and was originally named Shivaji Rao Gaikwad and opted for Rajinikanth as his screen name.
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Akshay Kumar
The khiladi of Bollywood, actor Akshay Kumar was originally named Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia by his parents. But before his making his debut with the 1991 film, Khiladi he changed his screen name to Akshay Kumar.
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Rekha
Rekha is one of the enchanting beauties of Bollywood and was originally named Bhanurekha Ganesan by her South Indian actor parents, Gemini Ganesan and Pushpavalli. She later changed her name to Rekha.
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Madhubala
Legendary actress, Madhubala took millions of hearts away with her on-screen performances in films like Mughal-e-Azam and Tarana. But do you know that her real name was Mumtaz Begum Jehan Dehlavi and she changed it to Madhubala as her screen name?
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Preity Zinta
The bubbly dimpled beauty of Bollywood, Preity Zinta was one of the leading actresses of her time who is enjoying her time away from the limelight. The actress was born on January 31, 1975, as Preetam Singh Zinta but changed it to Preity before her acting debut.
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Tiger Shroff
This might come as a surprise to some of his fans that Tiger Shroff is not the actor’s real name. He followed in his father’s footsteps who changed his name from Jaikishen Kaku Bhai to Jackie Shroff. Tiger changed his name from Jai Hemant Shroff to Tiger Shroff.
Last Updated: 02.34 PM, Feb 26, 2024