Luck by name
As Abhishek Bachchan changes his name to Abhishek A Bachchan, numerologist Sanjay B Jumaani recounts instances of people changing the spelling of their names for good luck
‘What’s in a name?’ the Bard had once quipped. But Bollywood wasn’t born then. Actors in the film industry today, who have often changed their names to enter the movies, would have shown him that there is, after all, a lot in a name.
Some actors have changed their names midway in their career while some others have just tried to spell their name differently, hoping that the change can cast a spell on their audiences.
Jr B, Abhishek Bachchan, has finally added an ‘A’ to his name in the credits of his web debut Breathe: Into the Shadows. When Abhishek made his debut in 2000-JP Dutta directorial, the Jumaanis, numerologists Bansilal and son Sanjay, had suggested that Abhishek add an ‘A’ to his name for success. Two decades later, the actor seems to have finally heeded the advice!
“We normally synchronise the date of birth and bring the name into the equation and look at the number that the letters bring. Abhishek’s number was adding up to 49 which further totals to 13, and number 13 is considered unlucky because of which we had asked him to get it changed,” explains Sanjay. “Every number has a meaning. His number meant that he was lonely and isolated and it is not a good number from a material standpoint. Now better sense has prevailed after the addition of the ‘A’ in his name and his number totals
up to 50 now,” explains Sanjay, adding how the change is there for all to see with the good reviews and kind of films Abhishek has been getting now.
RESTARTING CAREERS
Another actor with a change in the spelling of his name is Ajay Devgan, who was named Vishal Devgan when he was born.
Ajay dropped the ‘A’ from his surname Devgan, to make it ‘Devgn’. Further, Ajay’s company, AD Films, has added an additional F to FFilms. The results, according to numerology experts, are for all to see. The actor–producer has been doing pretty well for himself. He even put an H in Tanhaji, which was the biggest hit last year.
AN EXTRA LETTER FOR LUCK
For Gurgaon-born Rajkumar Yadav, the decision to change his surname and add an extra letter to his name came after his mother asked him to add the extra ‘m’. And the change has worked pretty well for Rajkummar.
While Rajkummar’s mother isn’t an astrologer, Ayushmann Khurrana’s father, P. Khurana, is a famed astrologer in north India. Khurana had earlier named Ayushmann as Nishant. However, he changed his son’s name to Ayushmann, who first became a VJ and then with a spelling change, went on to be a movie actor. His younger brother Aparshakti Khurana, however, retains his name’s original spellings. The former is far more successful.
Likewise, actor Riteish Deshmukh changed the spelling of his name, adding an extra ‘i’ because one of his friends insisted that he does so. It has worked for Riteish, who has been a constant in Bollywood films for a few years now, and has been a part of many multi-starrer hits.
When Rajiv Bhatia, or Akshay Kumar as we know him today, shot for the 1987 Mahesh-Bhatt directorial Aaj, he had a mere 15-seconds role as a karate instructor to the heroine of the film. Even in that scene, the director shot such that only the actor’s back was seen. However, the name of the hero in the film, played by Kumar Gaurav, was Akshay. “So I immediately went to Bandra court and changed my name to Akshay Kumar,” remembers Akshay.
The name change did get him lead roles, although they didn’t work well initially. But 16 flops later, Akshay Kumar did become a star with his 1992 film, Khiladi.
TRANSFORMING FATE
Actors such as Sunil Shetty and Vivek Oberoi added an extra ‘e’ and an ‘i’ to their names, making it Suniel and Viveik, respectively. It worked for Suniel who still holds that spelling, while Vivek who was born Vivekanand Oberoi is back to his original name.
“You don’t call a plumber when there is an electricity problem. Vivek got his alphabets changed by a Feng Shui expert and that is why it didn’t work for him,” states Sanjay.
Even Kareena Kapoor had changed her name to Kareina Kapoor only to revert to her original spelling later after the change simply did not work. Her sister Karishma dropped the ‘h’ to become Karisma. Vashu Bhagnani’s discovery, Tushar Kapoor, added an extra ‘s’ to his first name to become Tusshar.
Sanjay says that numerology applies to personal names, brands, companies, films and shows, pointing out how Bigg Boss got an extra ‘g’ added to it name, and has been doing well.
“Rohit Shetty consults with us before every project,” adds Sanjay. “Sooryavanshi his upcoming film has a double ‘o’ for that reason.”
Ajay Devgan was named Vishal Devgan when he was born. Ajay dropped the ‘A’ from his surname Devgan, to make it ‘Devgn’. Further, Ajay’s company, AD Films, has added an additional F to FFilms. The results are for all to see. He even put an H in Tanhaji, which was the biggest hit last year.
Every number has a meaning. Abhishek’s number, 49, wasn’t good from a material standpoint. After the addition of ‘A’ in his name, his number totals up to 50. The change is there for all to see with the good reviews and kind of films Abhishek has been getting now.
— SANJAY JUMANI