Akshay Kumar Reveals Why He Changed His Name From Rajiv Bhatia: 'Hero's Name...'

Akshay Kumar, one of Bollywood's most beloved actors, recently shared the intriguing story behind his name change from Rajiv Bhatia. In a conversation with Galatta Plus, Akshay revealed that the decision was not influenced by any religious suggestion, but by a simple moment of inspiration during the shoot of his debut film, Aaj.

Akshay Kumar, who stepped into the film industry in 1987 with Mahesh Bhatt’s Aaj, wasn't the lead actor in the movie. The film featured Kumar Gaurav as the main hero, and it was during this project that Akshay felt a significant shift in his identity. In the interview, Akshay shared, "Do you know what was Kumar Gaurav’s name in the film? Akshay. That’s how I got my name. Not many people know this. My real name is Rajiv, and during the shoot, I casually asked what the hero's name was in the film. They said Akshay, and I told them, I want to keep my name as Akshay!"

Akshay also mentioned that the name Rajiv held a positive association as Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister of India at that time. Despite this, he felt a spontaneous connection to the name Akshay. "Rajiv is a good name, and I think back then, Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister or something. So it was a great name, but I changed it just aise hi (just like that). It wasn’t like some pandit advised me to change my name! My father also asked me, what's wrong with you? But I told him the same, that the hero’s name in my first film was this, so I will keep it!”