My name is Khan, but call me Only Irrfaan

He could very well have claimed "My name is Khan" and got away with it, especially in Bollywood - where some surnames decide a star's selling potential more than others, but Irfan Khan in a strange twist for the book has decided to be different. He's done away with the Khan, added an extra alphabet to his name, and now goes as just Irrfan.

Could it be that the actor, who is scaling new heights of success with his recent release Paan Singh Tomar, is disdainful of being clubbed in the same bracket of Bollywood's superstar Khans - Aamir, Salman and Shahrukh? Or has Irrfan just turned superstitious?

Nobody really knows, but the actor dismissed the "good luck" theory doing the rounds and insisted that "Irrfan" - which is how he will be billed in future projects - is "a decade old thing". Which is doubtful, really, because a decade ago, who knew Irrfan or even cared how he spelled his name!
Though celeb numerologist Suniel Naik is of the opinion that the actor could have retained the Khan surname and still been successful because his first name is to what fortune attaches himself. Not the surname. Wonder what Bollywood's Khans have to say about that.

Interestingly, changing names in not new in B’town some changed it as their real names were not catchy for being in the glam world, while few also had astrological reasons behind it. Akshay Kumar, popularly known as Khiladi Kumar’s real name is Rajiv Bhatia. Mahima Chaudhary changed her name from Ritu Chaudhry to Mahima before she entered B’town with Pardes. Mallika Sherawat’s real name is Reema Lamba, but the ambitious lady wanted something more gracious. Jeetendra a firm believer in astrology was called Ravi Kapoor before he made a mark in the industry.