When Shah Rukh Khan revealed his childhood name was Abdul Rehman, "Mujhe ajeeb lagta tha, Baazigar mein socho SRK 'in and as' ki jagah agar woh naam hota toh..."

When Shah Rukh Khan revealed his childhood name was Abdul Rehman, "Mujhe ajeeb lagta tha, Baazigar mein socho SRK 'in and as' ki jagah agar woh naam hota toh..."

Shah Rukh Khan, often called the “King of Bollywood,” once shared an anecdote that surprised many of his fans. The actor revealed that his name was nearly not Shah Rukh Khan at all. Instead, his maternal grandmother wanted to name him Abdur Rehman.

On The Anupam Kher Show, the actor recalled how the name came about. Anupam Kher had asked him, “Aap kisi Abdul Rehman naam ke insaan ko jaante hai (Do you know anyone named Abdul Rehman)?” To this, Shah Rukh responded, “Main jaanta kisi ko nahi hun lekin meri jo naani thi…aur unhone mera naam bachpan mein Abdur Rehman rakkha tha (I don’t know anyone but my maternal grandmother had named me Abdur Rehman in childhood).”

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He explained that his grandmother was insistent on the name though it was never formally registered. “Haan mujhe kaafi hayraani huyi. Haan matlab kahi register nahi huwa lekin woh chahti thi ki mera naam Abdul Rehman rahe. Mujhe ajeeb sa laga abhi aap socho Baazigar starring Abdur Rehman in and as. It wouldn’t sound good. Shah Rukh Khan in and as Baazigar zyada better sound karta hai,” he said with a laugh.

Shah Rukh admitted that while the name “Abdur Rehman” held emotional value because of his grandmother, it didn’t quite fit with his later persona as a Bollywood superstar. The thought of blockbuster posters reading “Baazigar starring Abdur Rehman” amused him.

The actor also recalled how his cousins never let him forget the name. Growing up, they would tease him with an old song. “Jab main thoda sa bada huwa toh meri jo cousins hai woh chedte bhi the, gaana gaate the. (They would say) ‘Jab teri shaadi hogi tab hum yeh gaana gayenge Abdur Rehman ki main Abdur Rehmanniya.’ Koi purana gaana tha (When I grew up a little my cousins used to tease me by singing. They would say, ‘When you get married we’ll sing Abdur Rehman ki main Abdur Rehmanniya.’ Some old song),” he revealed.

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While his grandmother wanted him to carry the name Abdur Rehman, it was Shah Rukh’s father, Meer Taj Mohammed Khan, who eventually gave him the name the world knows him by today. “Shah Rukh” translates to “prince-like face.” The actor has often joked about it, once saying that he changed it to “Prince Charles-like face” because, as he quipped, “kyunki naak meri badi hai (as I have a big nose).”

Interestingly, Shah Rukh’s sister was named Lala Rukh, keeping in line with their father’s fondness for poetic names. The actor has often expressed gratitude that his father’s choice stuck, as the name Shah Rukh Khan has now become a brand in itself, synonymous with romance, charisma, and global stardom.