Prateik Babbar to Chiranjeevi: 8 Actors who changed their names

Hyderabad: Changing names is common in the film world. In the past, actors did it to sound better or to be more popular. But now, many change their names for personal reasons—like remembering family or following numerology, which is the belief that numbers can affect your life.

Prateik Babbar Becomes Prateik Smita Patil

Actor Prateik Babbar recently changed his name to Prateik Smita Patil to honor his late mother, the famous actress Smita Patil. He made this change to feel closer to her and to carry her legacy forward.

When asked about his father Raj Babbar, Prateik and his wife Priya Banerjee did not want to talk much. They said it was a private matter.

Other Bollywood Stars Who Changed Their Names

Many actors have changed their names before becoming famous. Some did it for luck, some to be unique.

• Akshay Kumar – Was born Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia.  
• Ajay Devgn – Born Vishal Veer Devgn.  
• Kiara Advani – Her real name is Alia Advani, but changed it as Alia Bhatt was already famous.  
• Tiger Shroff – Real name is Jai Hemant Shroff, but used his nickname “Tiger” as his screen name.  
• Shilpa Shetty Kundra – Born Ashwini Shetty, changed it after an astrologer’s advice.  
• Rajinikanth – Real name is Shivaji Gaikwad, got the name Rajinikanth from a director.  
• Chiranjeevi – Was Siva Sankara Vara Prasad, chose a more powerful name for films.

For actors, a name is more than just a name. It can be about love, luck, or starting fresh. Like Prateik, many stars choose names that feel right in their heart.