8 Television Celebrities Who Have Had Their Names Changed
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Let’s be real. Making it big in the entertainment world is no easy task and some aspiring actors and actresses often resort to changing their appearance, accents and in some cases, even their names. It could be big-budget stars like Amitabh Bachchan, who was originally named Inquilab Srivastava (an even bigger mouthful than his current name) or smaller television actors like Rashmi Desai (who was born as Divya Desai). Without further ado, let’s reveal our list of top eight television show actors who’ve made a slight tweak in their birth name (if not more changes):
1. Current Name: Deepa
Previous Name: Dalljiet Kaur
Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon actress, Dalljiet Kaur, took to Instagram to announce to her fans that she would be changing her name to “Deepa”. She later posted a selfie and spoke about how her mother always felt like her birth name was too confusing and complicated. She also revealed that her birthday falls during the time of Diwali and explained that for this reason her family always called her Deepa. She dedicated the post to her mother and said that she did this for her. She asked her followers and those who want to associate with her to address her with the name of Deepa.
2. Current Name: Karanvir Bohra
Previous Name: Manoj Bohra
Karanvir Bohra of Naagin fame was given the name of Manoj by one of his paternal grandparents. Karanvir stated that his grandfather was very close to veteran actor Manoj Kumar. Due to this, his grandfather wanted to name his beloved grandson the same. While making his big debut in the acting field with Kasautii Zindagii Kay, the actor officially had his name changed as Karanvir.
3. Current Name: Gauahar Khan
Previous Name: Gauhar Khan
The talented actress believed that changing an alphabet in her name would help her gain more luck and change her destiny. Sure enough, after the name change, the starlet was seen on celeb reality program, Big Boss season 7. The actress later emerged as a victor and many believe it was due to this very interesting name change. It seemed that Gauahar Khan’s new name was here to change her whole game and she went on to bag some huge projects.
4. Current Name: Anita Hassanandani
Previous Name: Natasha Hassanandani
Anita Hassanandani plays Shagun in the hit show, Yeh Hai Mohabbatein. The talented actress decided to move from Natasha to Anita even before she gained popularity. This name change was quickly followed by her TV debut for a show produced by Ekta Kapoor called Kabhii Sautan Kabhii Sahelii. The entertainer and talented starlet rose in demand and gathered several more shows in her kitty. The actress went on to make appearances in a few Bollywood films.
5. Current Name: Vahbiz Dorabjee
Previous Name: Vahbbiz Dorabjee
Vahbiz Dorabjee decided to drop the extra ‘b’ letter from the full spelling of her name. The actress made a short cameo on the TV show Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani and was observed in a show called Saraswatichandra. After this, the Vahbiz played a major role as Maggie Kant on a popular TV show called Bahu Hamari Rajni Kant.
6. Current Name: Ridheema M.Tiwari
Previous Name: Shweta Tiwari/ Ridheema Tiwari
Ridheema Tiwari had her name changed from Shweta to Ridheema. She spoke about how she initially struggled while trying to land roles as her birth name was extremely common. The actress then went to her family guru and consulted him on the matter. This is when she decided to go by Ridheema with two es. Like many in the entertainment world, the actress too has admitted to being a firm believer in the concept of numerology.
7. Current Name: Rashami Desai
Previous Name: Divya Desai
The Uttaran starlet Rashami had her name changed nine years back. She was born Divya and the actress stated that her mom was the one behind her name change. The actress claimed that her mother consulted an expert in numerology before making this decision. The name change turned out to favor her. Rashami has made appearances on quite a few TV shows including Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 5, Nach Baliye 7 and Dil Se Dil Tak.
8. Current Name: Kishwer S Merchantt
Previous Name: Kishwar Merchant
Actress, Kishwer Merchantt, had decided to change her name two years ago. She changed ‘A’ to ‘E’ in her last name by birth and included an extra ‘T’ in her current surname. Kishwer has stated that the adjustment in her name worked out for her and she believes she has noticed an increase in her fan following.
Whether you’re a believer of numerology or not, these actors clearly believed a name change would help them further their careers and if it worked out in their favor, that’s great for them. Would you ever change your given name to further your career? Let us know all of your thoughts in the comments below.
