Did you know that the recently departed Dilip Kumar’s original name was Muhammad Yusuf Khan? Many actors and media personalities often change their names once they start their professional careers. There are many aspects that play a role in it.
Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why they do so.
Attractiveness
Actors or performers often change their name if their original name is considered boring or unattractive. A media person is known by his/her name and if it is an attractive one then it becomes a plus point for him/her. Actors that changed their name due to this may include people like Saba Qamar who only shortened her name from Sabahat Qamar Zaman, as the original was long and boring.
Relatability
Other actors change their names to become more relatable for the audience. For example, Dilip Kumar is a name that might be easier for the Hindu-dominant audience of India to accept. Similarly, other celebrities who changed their names to become more relatable include Gigi and Bella Hadid. By birth Gigi was named Jelena Noura Hadid and Bella was named Isabella Khair Hadid. These names were also changed to make it easier for people to pronounce them.
A new identity
For some people, being known and loved by thousands of people is a dream come true. And hence those who are in the race of making it big often leave their original identity behind in hopes of creating the life they dream about. Some of the names that we know and love include Rekha whose original name was Bhanurekha Ganeshan.
Similarly, Amitabh Bachchan’s name was Inquilab Srivastava. Without their current names, it’s difficult to imagine how these big stars could have been. Another example is of Ayeza Khan who was originally called Kinza, but later changed her name when she came to the industry.
Read More: Dilip Kumar unites India & Pakistan in his death
Superstitions
There are a lot of myths and superstitions around one’s name. It is said that the name one is called by has a huge impact on their personality. Celebrities also often change their name in hopes of better luck or to avoid problems. Like Shilpa Shetty was Ashwini Shetty however after her mother’s astrologer said that changing the name would bring Shetty more fame and luck, she changed her first name to Shilpa.
To stand out
While some celebrities change their names to blend in with the industry, others look for ways to stand out. With their names, they create the identity that helps them be different from everyone else. A good example of this situation can be Katy Perry who changed her name from Katheryn Hudson to Katy Perry so that people do not confuse her with Kate Hudson, another famous personality.
Spellings
Some celebrities do not change their complete names but edit the spellings of their names so that they don’t get mixed up with other names. Such celebs include Urwa and Mawra Hocane who changed their names from Hussain to Hucane however the name is still pronounced the same.
Other celebrities opt for nicknames as their identity.
However not all change their name. Some of the biggest names of the world belong to people who have been proud of their heritage and where they come from and have made a name and space by proving themselves to others.
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Amongst such people, the names that we cannot miss to mention are Shahrukh Khan and the Kapoor family. They have made their own names brands and anyone associated with their name automatically becomes powerful and prominent in the industry.