BOOST FOR LANKAN CINEMA
who changed their name for fame
Well known film producer, MPI circuit director and marketing strategist Dr. Arosha Fernando insists that the government’s highly commendable Enterprise Sri Lanka concept could also focus its attention towards uplifting the local film industry which also needs state support. “I am in the process of negotiating the matter with the relevant authorities and I hope the outcome would be positive. In the recent past huge investments have been made by the private sector for the welfare of our cinema. Basically it’s done by the producer and the exhibitor. If state support is forthcoming, it would really mean a lot as we need new cinemas. Besides the expansion of Liberty cinema, and other cinema halls countrywide, six new screens are coming up at the Colombo City Centre for which some Rs. 350 million had been invested. The Enterprise Sri Lanka proposals have far-reaching benefits and I hope it would be extended to the Sinhala cinema industry as well,” said Dr. Fernando who is also behind several film related projects.
“Enterprise Sri Lanka proposals have far-reaching benefits”
Bollywood celebrities have a deep impact on our lives. We are so impressed by their style and charisma that we start imitating them, be it how they carry themselves, the way they speak or the brand they use. Some fans even adopt their name or name their kids after them. We all are aware of the facts that Bollywood celebrities either change or add/remove an alphabet in their name to try their luck. There are stars we regard highly who have adopted new names before they hit the fame and we probably are completely unaware of it. Here are 10 Bollywood celebrities who changed their names before entering the glamorous world:
REENA ROY
Yesteryear actress Reena Roy, the popular leading lady who rocked Bollywood from 1972 to 1985 belongs to a broken home. Her father is a Muslim and mother a Hindu, who later separated after having four children together. Her real name was Saira Khan and was changed to Roopa Rai by her mother. While entering Bollywood she adopted the name, Reena Roy.
SUNNY DEOL
The actor with ‘Dhai kilo ka haath’ and son of veteran actor Dharmendra, Sunny Deol is popular for his work in Hindi cinema as not just an actor but also as a director and producer. He was born as Ajay Singh Deol but changed to Sunny Deol while entering the film industry. His brother and popular actor Bobby Deol even followed him when it came to changing the name. Bobby was born as Vijay Singh Deol.
JACKIE SHROFF
Guess what is the name of the macho man of Bollywood? No, it’s not Jagu Dada. It is Jaikishen Kaku Bhai. Jackie was a local toughie and modelled in few advertisements. It was director-producer Subhash Ghai who launched him in the film Hero and gave him the screen name ‘Jackie’. Over his career spanning four decades, he has appeared in more than 200 films in ten languages.
SAIF ALI KHAN
The Nawab of Bollywood Saif Ali Khan made his debut with Yash Chopra’s ‘Parampara’ in 1992. He is the son of actress Sharmila Tagore and late cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. He was born as Sajid Ali Khan but opted the name Saif Ali Khan in Bollywood. The change in the name came into limelight when Saif and Kareena’s marriage registration papers had Saif’s name spelt as Sajid Ali Khan.
SHILPA SHETTY
It is hard to digest that Shilpa Shetty’s real name is Ashwini Shetty. She changed the name as a teenager due to numerological reasons. Though she made her Bollywood debut with Baazigar in 1993, the revelations regarding her name were made only in 2008.
RANVEER SINGH
The hottest hunk of Bollywood Ranveer Singh didn’t change his name but the surname. Ranveer while entering Bollywood dropped his real surname ‘Bhavnani’. In an interview to a leading daily he revealed why he chose to drop the surname, he said, “It’s too long, too many syllables. Ranveer ‘Singh’ is short, crisp and can stay in your memory easily. Ran-veer-singh-bhavnani is too long. It’s not a saleable commodity.”
SRI DEVI AJAY DEVGAN
Ajay Devgan has come a long way in 26 years from ‘Phool Aur Kaante’ in 1991 to his upcoming movie ‘Badshaho’ in 2017. We all are aware of the fact that Bollywood’s Singham Ajay Devgan changed his name’s spellings. He dropped the alphabet ‘A’ from his surname making it Devgn from Devgan. But this is not the first time the actor has made changes in his name. His real name is Vishal Devgan, which he changed to Ajay Devgan while entering Bollywood.
MALLIKA SHERAWAT
Fashion model and Bollywood siren Mallika Sherawat was born as Reema Lamba to a Jat family in Haryana. She adopted the name Mallika meaning Empress or Queen. Sherawat is her mother’s maiden name. Over the years, Mallika has secured the position of being Bollywood’s one of the hottest actress with her gorgeous looks and stunning dance performances. You might be surprised to know that the Bollywood Diva Sri Devi’s real name is Shree Amma Yanger Ayyapan. She has started her career as a child artiste at the age of four and later established herself as one of the successful actresses not only in Hindi films but also in Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu films.