Jun 02, 2025
10 Bollywood actresses who changed their names
Kriti SonaliKiara Advani - Alia Advani
Kiara Advani changed her name before the release of her debut film, Fugly (2014) following a suggestion by Salman Khan. She also wanted to avoid confusion with Alia Bhatt. The name was influenced by Priyanka Chopra's character in the film Anjaana Anjaani.
Source: Instagram
Katrina Kaif - Katrina Turqotte
Katrina Kaif used her mother’s surname earlier but took her father Mohammed Kaif’s surname before her debut because she thought it would be easier for the Indian audience to pronounce.
Source: Instagram
Sunny Leone - Karenjit Kaur Vohra
She is best known by her stage name.
Source: Archive Image
Shilpa Shetty - Ashwini Shetty
Ashwini changed her name to Shilpa before entering the modelling world, following advice from an astrologer who believed it would bring her fame and success.
Source: Archive Image
Mahima Chaudhry - Ritu Chaudhry
She adopted the name Mahima Chaudhry after director Subhash Ghai's suggestion as he believed the letter "M" brought luck to his leading ladies.
Source: Archive Image
Mallika Sherawat - Reema Lamba
She changed her birth name primarily due to her father's disapproval of her entering the film industry.
Source: Archive Image
Tabu - Tabassum Hashmi Khan
Tabu - Tabassum Hashmi Khan Actor-filmmaker Dev Anand as he shortened her name from Tabassum to Tabu.
Source: Archive Image
Sridevi - Shree Amma Yanger Ayyappan
This star changed her name from her birth name when she started her acting career.
Source: Archive Image
Rekha - Bhanurekha Ganesan
Rekha shortened her name and made it her stage name as it would be easier to pronounce.
Source: Archive Image
Mandakini - Yasmeen Joseph
This former actress was born to a British father and a Kashmiri mother. At the age of 16, she was discovered by film director Raj Kapoor and given the screen name Mandakini.
Source: Archive Image
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