Nowadays, it is not uncommon for people working in Bollywood as well as the South Indian movie industry to change their names for success and fame. Although William Shakespeare once said ‘what’s in a name?’, not surprisingly enough a lot is in the name when it comes to the movie industry.
Changing names before entering the industry is not new and dates back to early times. Name changing is an age-old practice and many an actor tends to change their mundane name to a cool and catchy name that’ll stick for a long time.
Here are some South Indian actresses who changed their names for success in the industry:
1. Nayanthara
Professionally known as Nayanthara, her real name is Diana Mariam Kurian, an Indian actress and film producer. She is predominantly seen in Tamil, Telugu & Malayalam films. She is one of the highest-paid actresses in India. Nayanthara is one of the only South Indian actresses to get featured in the Forbes India “Celebrity 100” list in 2018.
Professionally known as Meera Jasmine, is an Indian actress who primarily works in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada language films. She changed her name to Meera Jasmine from Jasmine Mary Joseph. For her role in Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam, Meera won the National Film Award for Best Actress in 2004.
Nagma, a famous politician, was a former actor and is particularly known for her lead roles in the 1990s. Her real name is Nandita Arvind Morarji. Her cinematic debut film was Baaghi alongside Salman Khan in 1990. She has done films in many languages such as Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Bhojpuri, and even in Bengali.
Anjali, best known for her role as Jiiva in the film Kattradhu Thamizh, is an Indian actress and model who predominantly works in Tamil and Telugu films. Her real name is Balatripurasundari. In 2010 and 2011, she won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil.
Tabu, one of the most accomplished actresses in Bollywood, is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Hindi films, alongside Telugu, Tamil, and English films. Her real name is Tabassum Fatima Hashmi and is a very versatile actress. From playing troubled women to a strong female lead in both mainstream and independent cinema, she has made her name as a versatile actress.
Anushka Shetty, best known for her role as Devasena in the superhit movie Baahubali, works predominantly in the Tamil and Telugu film industry. Her real name is Sweety Shetty and is often popularly referred to as the Lady Superstar of South Indian cinema.
Rambha, one of the prominent actresses in the 90s and 2000s is an Indian actress who has predominantly worked in the Telugu and Tamil film industry. Her real name is Vijayalakshmi. In her career spanning almost two decades, Rambha has appeared in more than 100 films.
Bhumika Chawla is a former model and an Indian actress who has predominantly in the Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Hindi film industries. Her real name is Rachna Chawla and her debut film was the Telugu film Yuvakudu. She also won Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu for her role in Kushi.
Raasi, an Indian actress, predominantly appeared in Telugu and Tamil films. Also known as Manthra in Malayalam and Tamil films, her real name is Vijaya. She started her career as a child actress and her debut film was a Telugu film named Mamatala Kovella in 1986.
Popularly known by her stage name Sneha, her real name is Suhasini Rajaram Naidu. She is an Indian actress who appears predominantly in Tamil and Telugu films. She made her debut with the Malayalam movie Ingane Oru Nilapakshi.
Daylight robbery is not quite usual but it does not strike out the fact that it is highly possible. Many a time cases as such have surfaced online where normal people were robbed in broad daylight. Recently, the passengers in a taxi got robbed inside the Pragati Maidan tunnel in Delhi on Saturday afternoon.
Four men rob taxi passengers at gunpoint in broad daylight and here is what Delhi Police have to say
On Saturday, a delivery agent and his associate were robbed at gunpoint by a group of unknown assailants, stealing around Rs 1.5 to Rs 2 lakh cash from them. In spite of having 16 security guards in the Pragati Tunnel, there were no CCTV cameras installed. Although the Public Works Department assured that cameras are installed, they did not confirm their operational conditions.
The victims made a complaint at Tilak Marg police station later in the evening. The Pragati tunnel is a 1.5 km tunnel that connects New Delhi with Sarai Kale Khan and Noida. The police said that following the complaint made by the victims, a case has been filed under Sections 397 IPC which covers robbery, or dacoity with an attempt to cause death or grievous hurt and 34 (common intention).
The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Pranav Tayal, has shared that the complainant can be identified as Patel Sajan Kumar and his associate Jigar Patel. Patel Sajan works as a delivery agent for a private firm in Chandni Chow and has informed the police that he and Jigar were going to Gurugram to deliver the cash to a client.
As per the registered complaint, the two of them hired an Ola cab from near Red Fort. As soon as the cab entered the Pragati Maidan tunnel from Ring Road, four assailants on two motorcycles surrounded their cab and robbed the cash off them keeping them at gunpoint.
Delhi Minister Atishi also took to Twitter and slammed the incompetency of the Lieutenant Governor. She tweeted,
LG साहब: अगर आपको @ArvindKejriwal के कामों का क्रेडिट लेने से फ़ुरसत मिले तो कभी अपनी संवैधानिक ज़िम्मेदारी पर भी ध्यान दीजिए। दिल्ली वालों को सुरक्षा देना आपका काम है। और अब दिन दहाड़े दिल्ली में चोरी, डकैती और क़त्ल की वारदातें हो रही हैं। या तो आप सुरक्षा की ज़िम्मेदारी लीजिए,… https://t.co/RG4c9ozWnW
Coming across train service complaints on social media is nothing new. Very often than not we find passengers complaining about bland food or bugs in the cooked food provided to them. Quite recently someone took to Twitter regarding a complaint where they found plastic in the railway food. But the latest thing that happened has actually stunned everyone when a video of the roof of a passenger coach train surfaced online.
Indian Railways slammed over water leakage in AC coach
Netizens have harshly criticized the poor management and maintenance of the train coaches after a surprising video surfaced online. Recently, a video went viral on social media platforms in which it can be clearly seen rainwater seeping in through the roof of the 2-tier AC coach of the Avantika Express. The Congress party also reshared the video uploaded by a passenger and took to Twitter to play the blame game immediately.
“काश खोखले प्रचार की जगह रेलवे के लिए कुछ काम किया होता। झंडी दिखाने वाले रेल मंत्री अभी विदेश में हैं, नाम वाले रेल मंत्री ध्यान दें। (Wish some actual work would have been done for the Railways in place of empty propaganda. The railway minister who shows the flag is currently abroad, the named railway minister should pay attention)”
काश खोखले प्रचार की जगह रेलवे के लिए कुछ काम किया होता।
झंडी दिखाने वाले रेल मंत्री अभी विदेश में हैं, नाम वाले रेल मंत्री ध्यान दें। pic.twitter.com/FNLvQL1Ihu
It was a jab at the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, who recently flagged off 11 Vande Bharat Express, the Railways’ newest hi-tech train.
Railways response to the above-mentioned tweet
The Western Railway took to Twitter to respond to that tweet hours later and stated that all the coaches of the Avantika Express train were properly checked.
“All coaches of Avantika Exp have been checked thoroughly & issue has been attended to promptly. The train has commenced its return journey & there are no such issues now. Passenger convenience is of utmost priority & WR leaves no stone unturned to resolve passengers’ grievances”
All coaches of Avantika Exp have been checked thoroughly & issue has been attended promptly.
The train has commenced its return journey & there are no such issues now.
Passenger convenience is of utmost priority & WR leaves no stone unturned to resolve passengers’ grievances. pic.twitter.com/V9QyKiIowJ
Thandi hawa ke sath sath sarkar ne barish ke pani ka bhi anand lene ke liye ye nayab tarikib lagai hai isme bhrastachar bilkul nhi hai aur haa jine murko ke ye lgta hai isme amir log travel krte hai to unko ye bta du amir log plan me jate hai aur dikhave wale amir train me….🤐
— Mahua Moitra Fans (@MahuaMoitraFans) June 25, 2023
This is probably not the first time that something has happened as per the claims of this Twitter user,
Recently travelled from 12424 Rajdhani Express to #Guwahati , had a very bad experience. As it was raining the rainwater was leaking in every coach and also there was no water in most of the dirty toilets. TTE ignored the complaint and asked to register complaint via phone.
On Sunday, Shah Rukh Khan aka the King Khan, completed 31 years in Bollywood industry. It was in 1992, when he made his debut in the industry with the movie Deewana opposite late actress Divya Bharti. As the fans celebrated the big day on social media with amazing messages and tributes for the actor, SRK also decided to celebrate the occasion with his fans in his own style.
Shah Rukh Khan completed 31 years in Bollywood
He took some time out of his busy schedule and held an #AskSRK session on Twitter. Starting the question and answer session on Twitter, SRK wrote:
“Wow just realised it’s 31 yrs to the day when Deewana hit the screens. It’s been quite a ride mostly a good one. Thanks all and we can do 31minutes of #AskSRK ??”
In no time, his Tweet was flooded with a variety of questions from fans for their favorite actor. SRK, who is known for his hilarious sense of humor, gave amazing replies to his fans with wit and humor.
Wow just realised it’s 31 yrs to the day when Deewana hit the screens. It’s been quite a ride mostly a good one. Thanks all and we can do 31minutes of #AskSRK ??
While interacting with the fans, King Khan stumbled upon a question that was asked by a female fan, who is currently pregnant with twins. The fan came up with an epic Tweet for the Pathaan actor. She asked:
“sir i am pregnant with twin babies..wish me luck i will name them pathaan and jawan.”
sir i am pregnant with twin babies..wish me luck i will name them pathaan and jawan ❤️ #AskSRK 5
Besides all the funny and hilarious answers, SRK was also seen giving some serious answers. A fan asked him if he would do a movie like Swades again, a role that was loved by one and all
Talking about his work front, SRK made a comeback after a hiatus of 4 years with Siddharth Anand’s blockbuster action-thriller Pathaan, which hit the theatres in January this year. SRK will be next seen in the upcoming action-thriller Jawan, which will be released on September 7th.
Jawan is directed by South filmmaker Atlee. Produced under SRK’s Red Chillies Entertainment, the movie also stars Nayanthara and Vijay Sethupathi in lead roles.