Rapper Snoop Dogg has decided to rechristen himself as Snoop Lion. The singer said he was born again during a visit to Jamaica in February, where he connected with Bob Marley's spirit and is now "Bob Marley reincarnated"! Whatever the reason, he's not the first to have changed his name to grab eyeballs. Here are some of our industry's own who've adopted a more glamorous name to get a foot into the front door of fame and fortune...
Akki, aka Akshay Kumar, was born Rajiv Bhatia. He adopted the stage name to propel his career, but sticks to the alias Rajiv for travel plans. Photo: Getty Images
Big B Amitabh Bachchan was originally named Inquilab, inspired from the famous phrase Inquilab Zindabad! But on a fellow poet's suggestion, his father changed his name to Amitabh Shrivastava. The entire family then adopted the surname Bachchan from his father's pen name, which means child-like. Photo: Getty Images
Veteran actor Dilip Kumar changed his name from Yusuf Khan. He entered the industry in 1944 where tensions between Hindu & Muslim communities were simmering and this forced many actors to adopt Hindu names to survive in the industry.
Katrina Kaif is now a household name. But she's not really a Kaif at all. Open up her passport, and you are introduced to Katrina Turquotte! Kats felt Kaif was easier to pronounce, and made her more 'apni'! Photo: Viral Bhayani.
The name game also features Sasha or Shahid Kapoor! Shahid is the son of Pankaj Kapoor and actress Neelima Azim. Following their divorce when he was three, his mother married Rajesh Khattar and Shahid adopted his stepfather's name through school and college. He made his debut bearing his father's last name, but Sasha has to keep using Khattar for travel and legal purposes. Photo: Getty Images
Do the names Ajay and Vijay Deol ring a bell? Yes, they are the names of the Deol duo, Sunny and Bobby. The rechristening was unavoidable after stepping into B-town.
The next time a flight announces the last call for Vishal Devgan, get ready to see Ajay Devgn walk down the aisle! Ajay felt the name Vishal had lesser appeal!
The 'kissing queen' tag is not the only title Mallika Sherawat lays claim to. Before her first film 'Khwahish' (2003) Mallika was known as Reema Lamba. Perhaps since there was already a Reema, Raima and Rimmi Sen in the industry, Mallika felt she needed to stand out!
Mithun Chakraborty switched his name from Gauranga Chakraborty to his current one. But that's not all. Before he became an actor, Mithun was allegedly a Naxalite, but a freak accident that took his brother's life had Mithun giving up the ways of the rebel and he settled into the industry, giving us gems like 'Disco Dancer'!
In an interview Tshering Phintso Denzongpa said that he had secured admission at the Armed Forces Medical College in Pune but instead, joined the Film and Television Institute of India. And when his classmate Jaya Bhaduri decided to shorten his tongue-twisting name to 'Danny Denzongpa', it stuck! Photo: Getty Images
'Band Baaja Baarat' actor Ranveer Singh is among the more recent celebs to switch names. The actor dropped his surname Bhavnani and opted for the more familiar 'Singh'. Photo: Getty Images
Can you really blame Chunky Pandey for adopting his current name, when his original, Suyash Sharat Chandrakant Deshpandey, was such a mouthful? We certainly don't! Photo: Viral Bhayani
