Not astrology, but this was the reason why Akshay Kumar changed his name from Rajiv Bhatia

There are endless theories when it comes to why Akshay Kumar changed his name. Some people say that the Bollywood superstar changed his name from Rajiv Bhatia after a priest suggested the actor do so. After years of silence, Akshay has finally revealed the real story behind his decision to change his name.

Speaking with Galatta Plus, the actor refuted all the theories behind his decision to change his name, including astrological reasons.

Revealing the real reason, Akshay disclosed why he changed his name before his first movie in 1989 Aaj.

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“Do you know what Kumar Gaurav’s name is in the film? Akshay. That’s how I got my name. Not many people know this. So my real name is Rajiv and, during the shoot, I casually asked the name of the hero in the film. They said Akshay. I told them, ‘I want to change my name to Akshay!’”

Further talking the actor said that his father was against his decision to change his name. “Rajiv is a good name and I think, back then, Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister. So, it was a great name, but I changed it just aise hi. 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 that’s the hero’s name in my first film, so I will keep it!”

After playing a brief role in Mahesh Bhatt's movie, Kumar made his debut in 1991 with Saugandh. However, his breakthrough came in 1992 when his film Khiladi became a super hit.

On the work front, Akshay's recent film Sarfira is playing in theatres. Released on July 12, the movie is underperforming at the box office. So far, the movie has managed to collect only Rs 12.50 crore (Rs 120 million) in India.

Trade Analyst Taran Adarsh wrote, ''#Sarfira continues to struggle... Earns praise and acclaim, but underperforms at the ticket windows... Biz saw an upward trend on Sat - Sun, but the 3-day total remains lackluster, falling far below expectations.''

Akshay's April release Bade Miyan Chote Miyan alsodidn't perform well at the box office.