There was a time in the Hindi film industry when before becoming stars, actors used to change their names. Be it Dilip Kumar, Madhubala, Jeetendra or Rajesh Khanna, this formula proved to be a hit for many stars. They reached the pinnacle of their careers with their exceptional choice of scripts and powerful performances. Even Akshay Kumar changed his name from Rajeev Bhatia. Do you know why? Today, let’s dig deep into how Rajeev Bhatia came to be known as Akshay Kumar. His name change also has a connection with the 90s actor Kumar Gaurav. Read on.
Aspiring actors often leave no stone unturned when it comes to gaining fame by changing their names. One of them was Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia, who came back to Mumbai and became a martial arts teacher. He was also busy modelling. Suddenly, luck turned in his favour as director Mahesh Bhatt was shooting for Aaj and he wanted a karate instructor. The role was only for a few seconds, but Rajiv Bhatia wanted to enter the film industry, so he agreed. The film turned out to be a disaster at the box office, but it changed Rajiv Bhatia’s life. It is during Aaj’s filming that he decided to change his name to Akshay Kumar.
In an earlier interview, he revealed that he had a role of 4.5 seconds in the film. He used to observe Kumar Gaurav’s acting, whose name was Akshay in the film. Akshay Kumar liked the name so much that one day, he went to court and got his name changed. He said, “And I just wanted to go and change my name, and I went to the court in Bandra East and did it. I have a full certificate as proof [of my name change].”
Reportedly, he also got his visiting cards printed with the same name and then he went to work. He believes that he got lucky and after that, he started getting films. He finally made his debut in the lead role with Saugandh in 1991. 1992 witnessed his breakthrough with the suspense flick Khiladi, which earned him the nickname Khiladi Kumar. He quickly made a name for himself as an action hero with movies like Deedar, Mohra, Main Khiladi Tu Anari, Suhaag and Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi. The rest, as they say, is history.