Akshay Kumar shares his dad's REACTION when he decided to change name

Recently, actor Akshay Kumar took a trip dow memory lane and recalled about his father's reaction when he chose to change his name from Rajiv Bhatia.

Updated on Jul 14, 2024  |  04:52 PM IST |  102.3K
Akshay Kumar
Picture Courtesy: Akshay Kumar/Instagram

Akshay Kumar is currently enjoying the success of his recently released movie, Sarfira, co-starring Radhikka Madan. But before his fame and success, Khiladi Kumar was known as Rajiv Bhatia, which is his real name. He changed his birth name after his debut movie. Recently, in an interview, he recalled his father's reaction to this decision. 

Akshay Kumar recalls father's reaction to his name change 

In a recent interview with Galatta Plus, the actor discussed why he changed his name from Rajiv Bhatia. When asked about his first day on the set of Aaj, his debut film directed by Mahesh Bhatt, he explained that the inspiration came from Kumar Gaurav's character in the film, whose name was Akshay.

The actor recounted, "Not many people know this, but my real name is Rajiv. During the shoot, I casually asked what the hero's name was in the film, and when they said Akshay, I decided to adopt that name."

He elaborated that while Rajiv is a good name and was notably the name of the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, he changed it without any particular reason.

The actor also shared his father's reaction to the name change, noting that his father questioned his decision and said, "what is wrong with you". The actor responded that since the hero's name in his first film was Akshay, he chose to keep it.

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The Bade Miyan Chote Miyan actor discussed his professional challenges, mentioning that people tend to enjoy it when his films do not perform well at the box office. He stated that there is a sentiment of satisfaction among some, remarking, "Their film has not performed well, and others are happy."

Akshay Kumar on the work front

Meanwhile, Kumar has a couple of movies lined up. He has recently wrapped up the schedule of Jolly LLB 3 alongside Arshad Warsi, Huma Qureshi, and Saurabh Shukla. The actor is also set to star in Rohit Shetty's Singham Again, featuring Ranveer Singh, Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Jackie Shroff, Deepika Padukone, Arjun Kapoor, and Tiger Shroff.

Additionally, he is part of Welcome To The Jungle, which boasts an ensemble cast including Sanjay Dutt, Raveena Tandon, Disha Patani, Suniel Shetty, Jacqueline Fernandez, and Arshad Warsi. 

Kumar also has Sky Force and Shankara, co-starring R Madhavan and Ananya Panday. 

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ALSO READ: Box Office: Sarfira takes a dull opening of Rs 2.50 crore; Hindustani 2 disappoints with Rs 1.50 crore

Credits: Galatta Plus
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Drenched in the vibrant hues of Bollywood, Rajni Singh is an entertainment journalist with 3 years of experience in the

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